From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Nov 28: Karnataka’s Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree called on Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani and Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor Sudhir K Sopory in New Delhi on Thursday.
Umashree called on JNU Vice Chancellor in the University Campus in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed about the establishment of Kannada Study Chair (Kannada AdyayanaPeetha) in the University.
Umashree also called on Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani and urged the Centre to transfer a Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) from Mysuru to Bengaluru.
The Karnataka minister impressed upon the Union HRD Minister that that the CESCK was set upby the State following grant of classical status for Kannada.
In her meeting with the JNU Vice Chancellor, when JNU Rector SudhaPai and Kannada and Culture Department Principal Secretary ShaliniRajaneesh, writer H S Shiva Prakash and Prof Valerian Rodrigues were present.
The JNU Vice Chancellor welcomed the delegation and said a committee has been set up to appoint a director to the Chair.
The State government has released Rs 43 lakh to set up the chair in the university. There was a demand for having a Kannada Chair at the JNU.
Many other regional languages already have study chairs at the university.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University would spend Rs. 20 lakh for creating basic infrastructure facility and rest of the money for conducting activities.
Though the plan of setting up of Kannada Study Chair commenced eight years ago, there was no breakthrough, as University was bent upon seeking a corpus of Rs 8 crore.But the State Government could not meet the demand.
Finally, University agreed for the government proposal of making the Kannada Study Chair functional with annual grant of Rs 43 lakh, officials said.
JNU said setting up of Chair would help in research and development of Kannada.
Apart from study of Kannada language, Centre would facilitate in-depth research on culture and art of the region, said an official press release from the Kannada and Culture Department