Karnataka Approves Tulu as Second Administrative Language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi

19 September 2026· KarnatakaNational

The Karnataka Cabinet, meeting in Mangaluru on 18 September 2026, approved Tulu as the state's second additional administrative language for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, with an annual allocation of Rs 82 lakh for translation work and staff training. Tulu is a Dravidian language with a recorded history of more than 2,000 years, spoken by about one crore people, mainly in coastal Karnataka. The decision follows a long-standing regional demand and the work of a committee headed by academician Mohan Alva. The status applies only to the two coastal districts and not to the whole state, covering official communication, translation and public service delivery.

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Kannada is the official language of Karnataka, whose capital is Bengaluru | Tulu is not listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, which currently recognises 22 languages | Tulu was historically written in the Tigalari script and is written in the Kannada script today

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