Mangaluru: The Karnataka government has granted Tulu the status of the state’s second additional official language, ending a decades-old demand from the coastal region.
The decision was taken during the Karnataka Cabinet’s first-ever meeting in Mangaluru on Friday, chaired by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Tulu is widely spoken in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and remains an important part of the region’s cultural identity.
The move also fulfils a commitment made by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in 2008 regarding official recognition for the language and its inclusion in the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule.
The Cabinet approved several other measures for coastal Karnataka. These include a draft notification on renaming Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru district and a separate tourism policy for the coastal and Malnad regions.
It also approved plans to upgrade Mangaluru’s fisheries college into a Fisheries, Marine and Blue Economy University, with student intake proposed to rise from 60 to 200.
Projects and proposals worth around Rs 32,611 crore were also cleared.
Shivakumar said the government was committed to addressing regional demands and would not politicise matters connected with people’s emotions and identity.