Bangalore : The usage of Kannada in online mode is set to become easy as the new version of Nudi Kannada software titled Nudi 5.0 which has 11 Kannada fonts conforming to the Unicode style is all set for release by the Kannada Development Authority on Tuesday.

Announcing this at a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday, Kannada Development Authority Chairman Mukhyamantri Chandru said the new software had been developed by the Kannada Ganaka Parishat.

He said the Nudi 5.0 had advantages over the earlier versions in terms of convenience and compatibility with mobile phones. Besides, it was possible to convert any of the old Kannada fonts into Unicode system through this. The new software had been developed mainly to help implementation of Kannada in governance, he said. The new software would be available for free download after the launch on January 28, he said.

On that day, the KDA will also release a book titled Desi Maathu, which is a compilation of speeches made by various participants at a programme organised by it to preserve the distinct native flavour of Kannada as a spoken language.

He pointed out that Kannada had a distinct native flavour as the accent and the manner in which it was spoken varied from region to region.

The KDA was trying to preserve this with its programme nudi sogadu.

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar would distribute scholarships worth around Rs. 17.74 lakh to 94 students from below poverty line families pursuing master degrees in Kannada in seven universities located outside Karnataka, he said.

Mr. Chandru took exception to the Tamil Nadu government changing its language policy by making it mandatory for all students to learn Tamil as first language as against the earlier system under which students had been given the option of choosing their mother tongue as the first language.

This had inconvenienced Kannadiga students in 42 villages of Talavadi in Tamil Nadu border, he pointed and said he had written letters in this regard to the Chief Ministers of both the States.