Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced that an ordinance would be passed directing the commercial establishments and business shops in the state to install the name boards adopting the 60 per cent Kannada signages mandate.
He emphasised that all commercial establishments must ensure that they abide by the mandate and change the signboards by February 28, 2024.
The announcement came after a high-level meeting convened by Siddaramaiah with the Home Minister G Parameshwara, BBMP, the police department and the Department of Kannada and Culture on Thursday.
According to Section 17(6) of the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act 2022, which was adopted in February 2023, the government or local authorities-approved commercial industries, business establishments, counselling centres, hospitals, laboratories, recreation centers and hotels etc., must have their names in Kannada on the upper half (50 per cent) of the signboards.
However, CM Siddaramaiah said that the circular issued in 2018 made it mandatory to have 60 per cent Kannada on the signposts. “The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022 will be amended and a deadline of February 28, 2024 will be given for commercial establishments to install signposts with 60 per cent Kannada in it," he said.
Maximum Kannada in billboards too
The Rule 17(8) of the same Act says that the billboards displaying advertisements and notices published for the information of the public in the state must have a certain percentage of Kannada in it. The classification of advertisements and the percentage of advertisement content to be displayed in Kannada would be prescribed by the state government.
Siddaramaiah said that this rule was also not notified. The state government will soon issue an ordinance by notifying the rules.
The announcement comes a day after the members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) sent shockwaves across the city after vandalising name boards in English. They termed their act as an “awareness campaign”.
Siddaramaiah stressed that strict action would be taken against those who took law into their own hands and indulged in vandalism on Wednesday.
He stressed that in March 2022, the Karnataka High Court said the protests must be held only at Freedom Park, Bengaluru. He further stated, “The government won’t oppose any peaceful protest. We believe in democracy and the constitution. But, I want to make it clear that the government will not tolerate anyone going against the law.”
Siddaramaiah highlighted that Kannada is the sovereign and administrative language of Karnataka. There is no compromise in that. The act would be amended and an ordinance would be passed soon. He requested people not to take law into their hands.