Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced the decision to hold the third World Kannada convention (Vishwa Kannada Sammelana) in first or second week of December at Davangere.
“Many prominent personalities and Kannada writers attended the meeting today to discuss on organising the third World Kannada convention. Many of them are of the opinion that there should be no connection between prevailing drought in the state and the plan to hold the convention,’’ the chief minister said.
According to a release from the Information and Public Relations Department, some of the participants have demanded the government to hold the third World Kannada convention in November itself.
The chief minister said the government would make a sincere effort to promote Kannada language despite the drought condition in the state. “The deficit of rainfall in the state is 24 per cent. Sowing should have taken place at 73 lakh hectares but sowing has taken place in 28 lakh hectares only,’’ he said.
Policy on culture soon
Responding to an appeal made by poet K.Y. Narayanaswamy for bringing out a policy on culture and fill up vacancies at various academies under the jurisdiction of Kannada and Culture Department, the chief minister has assured him of implementing the new policy on culture and take measures to fill up vacancies within a week.
It may be recalled the decision to hold the third Vishwa Kannada Sammelana (World Kannada convention) in Davanagere in December this year is being opposed in some quarters.
On Saturday, M. Lakshminarayana, Special Officer to Vishwa Kannada Sammelana and Secretary in the Department of Kannada, Culture and Information, met officials in Davanagere in connection with the event.
Noted writer and former Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Chandrashekara Patil believes that it is unwise to hold the gala event amidst a severe drought in Karnataka. His view is echoed by S.G. Siddaramaiah, Chairperson, Kannada Development Authority.
Govt to declare drought-hit areas soon
The chief minister said the state government had declared 176 taluks as drought hit areas due to the failure of monsoon in kharif season and 139 taluks during the rabi season.
“It is almost second half of July but there is no sufficient rainfall in the state. There was 84 TMC of water in the reservoirs during the corresponding period last year but there is only 40 TMC of water this year. The government will come out with the list of drought-hit taluks soon,’’ he said.
