At any government event, you are more likely than not to see the ministers attending being showered with gifts. But, now this common practice might end in Karnataka. In an order dated August 10, the state banned the practice of giving garlands, shawls, mementos, etc as gifts at government and government-agency-hosted events.
Instead, books in Kannada will now be presented as gifts at events hosted by the Karnataka government or any state-run agencies.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in an order, termed gifting of shawls, garlands as an ‘unnecessary expenditure’ and said that anyone meeting him or attending government events should give Kannada books henceforth.
Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar issued a circular at the direction of the Chief Minister. On August 10, the Chief Minister chaired a meeting of senior police officials wherein he was given bouquets. Refusing to accept the flowers, Bommai said that the practice of giving garlands, shawls, and bouquets in the name of protocol should be done away with, terming it as an unnecessary expenditure.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @BSBommai ರವರ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನದಂತೆ, ಇನ್ನು ಮುಂದೆ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಮತ್ತು ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಸ್ವಾಮ್ಯಕ್ಕೊಳಪಡುವ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳು ನಡೆಸುವ ಸಭೆ-ಸಮಾರಂಭಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹೂಗುಚ್ಛ, ಹಾರ, ತುರಾಯಿ, ಹಣ್ಣಿನ ಬುಟ್ಟಿ, ಶಾಲು, ನೆನಪಿನ ಕಾಣಿಕೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಕಾಣಿಕೆ ನೀಡಬಾರದು ಎಂದು ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಮುಖ್ಯಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿಗಳು ಸುತ್ತೋಲೆ ಹೊರಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. pic.twitter.com/SwSd4ZG5ca
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) August 10, 2021
The circular shared from the CM’s official Twitter handle read that visitors shall not give garlands, shawls, bouquets, fruit baskets, and memorabilia at meetings and events being hosted by the state government and government-run institutions. All department heads and government undertakings have been asked to comply with the directive, the order stated.
Recently, the newly sworn-in Energy and Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar had appealed to those coming to greet him not to give garlands and gifts and asked for Kannada books instead, which he would donate to a library in his Karkala constituency.
Kumar was quoted in the Indian Express saying that he has received more than a thousand Kannada books and the books have been donated to a public library in his constituency; he also said he will donate the additional books to gram panchayats in the region.