Why it is in the news
On 18 September 2026 the Karnataka Cabinet declared Tulu an additional official language for administrative purposes in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. About ₹82 lakh a year has been allocated for translation, training and related work, and the district administrations will carry out the implementation. The decision follows a committee that examined the demand in 2023 and decades of campaigning by Tulu organisations.
The exam angle
Issue: India recognises languages through four separate mechanisms with no settled criteria linking them. Does this pluralism protect linguistic diversity by keeping every route open, or does the absence of criteria for Eighth Schedule inclusion turn recognition into a contest of political weight rather than linguistic merit?