Udupi: Kannada Rajyotsava was celebrated at the Mahatma Gandhi Stadium at Beedinagudde here on Wednesday.

District minister Pramod Madhwaraj unfurled the national flag and explained the youth about the importance of Kannada language and culture. “We are not seriously thinking or making efforts to support Kannada schools due to an illusion that English education is best. As a result, the enrolments in most of the Kannada schools are on the decline,” he said.

Stating that several steps are being taken to support Kannada language, the minister said the state government is putting honest efforts to implement Kannada in all levels of administration. He said that the district will become waste-free from next year under the Solid and Liquid Resource Management programme. The Rs 5 crore expansion work of Malpe port was approved and the tender process is in progress. Around 60 teachers will be appointed for government primary schools in the district.

The minister said that the district will soon have a state-of-the-art gymnasium, a sports academy, a lawn tennis stadium and an indoor stadium with centralized air-conditioning system. He said that Indira Canteens will come up at Kundapur, Karkala, Manipal and Udupi in January.