The Karnataka government has constituted a committee to study a proposal to make Tulu the second official language in the state. The committee is headed by academician Mohan Alva, and has been instructed to submit a report within a week. Minister for Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar, who is also from Udupi, tweeted about the government's stand on Tulu language. He wrote, "Regarding the declaration of Tulu language as the second official language in Karnataka, a committee has been formed under the leadership of Mohan Alva and the committee has been instructed to submit a report within a week.”
The committee is expected to provide recommendations on declaring Tulu as the second official language of Karnataka. The Tulu-speaking community, which is primarily located in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, has long been advocating for official language status for Tulu.
Tulu is spoken by people in the coastal region of Karnataka. It has a rich cultural and literary heritage, with a long history of oral tradition and written records. Despite its significance, Tulu has not been recognised as an official language in the state, leading to a long-standing demand for its recognition. When BS Yediyurappa was serving as the Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2008, he had made a commitment to the Tulu-speaking community to advocate for Tulu's inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Later, Tulu was eventually included in the Eighth Schedule, granting it constitutional recognition. Since then, online campaigns have been launched, demanding official status for Tulu, and the Tulu-speaking community has continued to advocate for its recognition.
ತುಳು ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಏರಡನೇ ಅಧಿಕೃತ ಭಾಷೆಯಾಗಿ ಘೋಷಿಸುವ ಸಂಬಂಧ,ಅಧ್ಯಯನ ನಡೆಸಿ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಶಿಫಾರಸ್ಸಿನೊಂದಿಗೆ ವರದಿ ನೀಡಲು ಡಾ|| ಮೋಹನ್ ಆಳ್ವ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಿತಿ ರಚಿಸಲಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಈ ಸಮಿತಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ವಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ವರದಿ ನೀಡಲು ಸೂಚಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
— Sunil Kumar Karkala (@karkalasunil) January 30, 2023