Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar defends policy on mandatory Urdu for Anganwadi workers in minority areas

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, September 29, 2024: Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, has defended the State government’s decision to make Urdu a mandatory language for Anganwadi workers in areas with a significant Muslim population. She emphasized that the policy aligns with the government’s approach to hiring workers who speak the children’s language.

In a statement, Hebbalkar highlighted that the government cleared recruitment rules on December 3, 2022, based on linguistic group percentages. According to the rules, in districts where a minority linguistic group constitutes 25% or more of the population, Anganwadi workers and assistants from that group, along with Kannada speakers, must be appointed. This has led to the hiring of workers fluent in Urdu, Marathi, Konkani, Telugu, Tamil, and other languages in various districts.

She clarified that candidates must have studied Kannada as a first or second language until SSLC, with their proficiency tested through written exams and interviews. In cases of a tie, age, widowhood, and destitution are considered.

Hebbalkar criticized BJP leaders for politicizing the issue, accusing them of spreading lies and attempting to divide communities based on language. She noted that the recruitment rules were introduced during BJP rule and condemned the spread of misinformation.