Officials working in Karnataka must learn Kannada: CM

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said government officials working in the state should learn Kannada and officiate in the language.

Following reports about a senior IAS officer directing his subordinates to send him official files written only in English, the chief minister said the officer was “wrong” and action would be taken against him after ascertaining the facts.

“I will look into it, it is wrong…it cannot be done like that,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

“Each and every officer working in Karnataka should learn Kannada and officiate in Kannada. If this has happened, we will take action,” he said in response to a question regarding the officer’s conduct.

According to reports, Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, had directed his subordinates to send him official files written only in English and not in Kannada.

State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister TB Jayachandra too warned of strict action against such officials.

“We will not tolerate any official who is against Kannada and against the interests of Kannadigas,” he said.

“I will immediately speak to the President of the Kannada Development Authority and initiate action against him,” he added.

The Kannada Development Authority has also sent a show-cause notice to the officer.