Fulfilling a decades-long cultural demand from the coastal belt, the Karnataka government issued a formal gazette notification recognizing Tulu as an additional official language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The historic cabinet decision enables local municipal councils, district collectorates, and regional public utilities to issue citizen notifications, administrative orders, and informational signage in the ancient Dravidian tongue alongside Kannada.
To operationalize the official designation, the state finance department approved dedicated budgetary grants to support the translation of municipal documents, establish standardized administrative lexicons, and sponsor literary research through the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy. Educational boards in the region were also empowered to introduce elective Tulu language and cultural appreciation modules in primary and secondary classrooms.
Linguistic scholars, cultural organizations, and community elders across the coastal region celebrated the gazette publication with festivities and public seminars in Mangaluru and Udupi. Cultural leaders expressed optimistic hope that the state’s recognition will accelerate the long-standing petition urging the Union Government to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
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