Tulu to Become Additional Official Language in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada; Mangaluru Cabinet Clears ₹32,611-Crore Development Push
Mangaluru/Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet, at its first meeting held in Mangaluru, on Friday approved a major package of decisions for Coastal Karnataka and the Malnad region, including declaring Tulu an additional official language in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, a new Coastal-Malnad Karnataka Tourism Policy 2026 and development projects with an overall outlay of ₹32,611 crore.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who chaired the special Cabinet meeting, said the decisions included a ₹16,000-crore programme for rural connectivity roads and rural infrastructure development. He said the remaining component of the overall ₹32,611-crore package was related to the coastal districts.
The Cabinet also approved plans including the development of a fisheries park over 150 acres, measures connected with fisheries and the blue economy, and a medical college at Puttur at an estimated cost of ₹549 crore.
Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Shivakumar said the government had sought to respond to long-standing demands of the coastal and Malnad regions and that the decisions reflected its approach towards their social and economic development.
On the long-pending demand for official recognition of Tulu, Shivakumar said the government had respected the sentiments of the people.
There had been a long-standing demand for Tulu to be declared an additional official language in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, he said. Rather than discussing why previous governments had not taken such a decision, the government had chosen to act on the demand, he added.
“Criticism dies, but work remains,” Shivakumar said, adding that several suggestions had been received during the deliberations.
He said the government would declare Tulu an additional official language of the state, restricted to Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.
Shivakumar recalled that former minister Ramanath Rai had earlier demanded recognition of Tulu as an additional language. He said several public representatives, including U.T. Khader and MLA Ashok Kumar Rai, had collectively pressed for the demand.
The Chief Minister congratulated those who had worked towards securing additional official-language recognition for Tulu.
Shivakumar also referred to the importance attached to the language by representatives from the region. He recalled that after Ashok Kumar Rai became an MLA, his first question in the Assembly related to Tulu.
He said U.T. Khader, who was Speaker at the time, and Ashok Kumar Rai had spoken in Tulu and, along with others, continued to press the issue.
Public Opinion Before Proposed Renaming of Dakshina Kannada
The government will seek public opinion on a proposal to rename Dakshina Kannada district as Mangaluru, Shivakumar said.
He said Mangaluru enjoys international recognition and that the government would take a decision on replacing the name Dakshina Kannada with Mangaluru only after consulting the public.
A draft notification would be issued and a period of one month would be provided to gather public views and sentiments before a final decision is taken, he said.
Coastal-Malnad Karnataka Tourism Policy 2026
The Cabinet approved the Coastal-Malnad Karnataka Tourism Policy 2026, which Shivakumar described as different from the tourism policies implemented so far.
He said the policy was intended to strengthen investment in tourism across the coastal belt and Malnad. Tourism projects under the new framework would be treated as infrastructure projects.
The government also plans to provide a range of incentives to investors, including measures intended to strengthen their investment capacity and provide more time for loan repayment, he said.
The policy would cover the coastal region as well as Malnad and seek to facilitate new tourism projects through infrastructure status and other incentives.
Fisheries, Blue Economy University Planned
The government also plans to establish a university focused on fisheries and the blue economy, Shivakumar said.
As part of measures for fisheries education, the intake at the existing fisheries college would be increased from 60 students to 200, he said.
The Cabinet decisions also include the proposed development of a fisheries park over 150 acres.
Shivakumar said there had also been demands for Kidwai and Jayadeva hospital facilities in the region.
The Cabinet approved ₹549 crore for establishing a medical college at Puttur, he said.
₹16,000 Crore for Rural Roads, Infrastructure
Among the major financial components announced after the meeting is a ₹16,000-crore rural development programme covering rural connectivity roads and rural infrastructure.
Shivakumar said ₹16,000 crore of the ₹32,611-crore package related to rural development, while the remaining amount concerned the coastal districts.
The decisions were taken at what the Chief Minister described as the first Cabinet meeting held in Dakshina Kannada district.
Cabinet Meetings Planned at 10-12 Locations
Asked whether the government would hold Cabinet meetings in other districts following the Mangaluru meeting, Shivakumar said the government intends to conduct such meetings at 10 to 12 locations over the next 15 months.
Cabinet meetings would be held wherever there was both the capacity and the need to do so, he said.
“Our goal is an integrated Karnataka and a prosperous Karnataka,” Shivakumar said.
He described the Mangaluru Cabinet meeting as part of an effort to take the government’s decision-making process beyond Bengaluru and address region-specific requirements.
Focus on Coastal Karnataka’s Economic Strength
Asked whether the development approach announced for the coastal districts would also be extended to other parts of Karnataka, Shivakumar said it would.
He said Dakshina Kannada had attracted national attention for its religious and educational institutions and had significant economic strength.
The district had contributed six nationalised banks to the country, besides having ports and emerging as an important centre for education and healthcare, he said.
Shivakumar said Dakshina Kannada had developed socially, economically and educationally and that its history and heritage were known across the country.
He said the Cabinet meeting had been held in the district as part of the government’s effort to contribute to its further development.
According to the Chief Minister, legislators, MPs and members of the Legislative Council had offered suggestions irrespective of party affiliation and assured cooperation for the district’s development.
Kasturirangan Report: CM to Hear Views in Coastal, Malnad Districts
Shivakumar also said he would participate in a meeting at Hebri on Friday concerning the Kasturirangan report.
He said he would subsequently visit Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts to gather people’s views on the issue.
The outreach follows the government’s stated intention to understand the concerns of people in the coastal and Malnad regions before taking further decisions on the Kasturirangan report.
Shivakumar thanked the people of Dakshina Kannada for the reception accorded to him and reiterated that the government intended to address the development requirements of the region through the decisions taken at the special Cabinet meeting.
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