(a) whether the Government is releasing funds to protect the traditional languages
of minorities in Karnataka and other States; and
(b) if so, the details of funds released during the Eleventh Five Year Plan to each
State, especially for minority regions where many languages are being spoken?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI VINCENT H. PALA)
(a): The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) under the Ministry of Human
Resource Development undertakes programmes for the promotion of all Indian languages
including 20 of the 22 scheduled languages and other non –scheduled languages (which
as per 2001 Census are 100 in number with 141 mother tongues, each spoken by at least
10,000 people). As far as Karnataka is concerned, the CIIL has conducted special
progorammes for the minority languages/mother-tongues viz. Jenu, Kuruba, Soliga, Kodava,
Tulu, Urdu, Saurastri, Pali, Prakrit and Sanskrit.
(b); The CIIL does not release funds to any State for the development of languages.
However, the institute spends from its own budget granted by the Government of India for
the protection and development of languages of minorities and minor groups. The expenditure
incurred by CIIL language wise for the Eleventh Five Year Plan is given in the statement at
Annex-A.