Government should encourage people to earn their livelihood rather than depend on dole: Malimath

Slamming the State government’s move to provide rice at Re. 1 a kg to below the poverty line (BPL) families, V.S. Malimath, Chairman of the Karnataka State Law Commission, said here on Monday that there was a need to create employment opportunities instead of “merely” introducing populist schemes.

Speaking on the sidelines of a function to present the ‘Pride of Karnataka’ awards, organised by Round Table India and Ladies Circle India here on Monday, Mr. Malimath said the launching of the rice scheme was a matter of serious concern. “I doubt the constitutional validity of the scheme. Is this the best the government can do for the progress of society?”

It is important for the government to encourage people to work and earn their livelihood instead of depending on government dole, he said.

Questioning the sustainability of the scheme, Mr. Malimath said the State could run into problems procuring huge quantities of rice.

Poet-writer Chandrashekar Kambar said there was a need to find a solution to the language policy as early as possible. Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Kambar said he was in favour of medium of instruction in mother tongue or in the regional language.

Mr. Kambar’s observations come days after the Supreme Court referred the case on the language policy to a Constitution Bench. He said the move would help improve learning abilities among students. “When the medium of instruction is English, students only resort to rote and do not understand the lessons. Using mother tongue or regional language will improve learning among children.”

However, he pointed out that he was not against schools teaching English as a subject. He said that a decision on the language policy, which was framed by the State in 1994 was long overdue.

Citizens’ role

Earlier, during the award ceremony, T.V. Mohandas Pai, chairman of Manipal Global Education, who won the award for his contribution to the corporate sector, said there was a need for citizens to actively engage in the political process for better governance. The other awardees included philanthropist Rohini Nilekani, poet and writer Chandrashekhar Kambar, golfer Sharmila Nicollet, and surgical oncologist K.S. Gopinath.