World Kannada Meet at Belgaum from February 23 to 25

The Karnataka Government has decided to hold a World Kannada Conference at Belgaum from February 23 to 25.

A decision to this effect was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in Bangalore on Thursday. The World Kannada conference coincides with the golden jubilee celebrations of Karnataka’s formation.

Announcing the schedule of the World Kannada Conference, which is being held after a lapse of more than two decades, Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti said the Government will make all preparations to make the World Kannada Meet at Belgaum a huge success.

It may be mentioned here that the Government had decided to shift the venue of World Kannada Meet from Shimoga to Belgaum as the former had recently conducted the All India Kannada Literary Meet.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Government is planning to invite ambassadors of the all countries in India as guests for the three-day convention. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is understood to have directed the Department of Kannada and Culture to make arrangements for extending invitations to all the ambassadors in the country for the event.

By choosing to shift the venue for the World Kannada Meet to Belgaum, the Karnataka Government is keen to send a strong message to the Federal Government and neighbouring Maharashtra that Belgaum was an integral part of Karnataka.

The shifting of the venue assumes much significance in the wake of Karnataka Government’s declaration that the State will not part with even an inch of Belgaum after Maharashtra began staking a claim over Belgaum and other Marathi-speaking regions of the State.

The Karnataka Government has set aside a total of Rs 100 million for the event. The main objective of the convention is to showcase the development of Karnataka during the last 50 years, besides hosting cultural and literary events.