Count of Kannadigas in Jammu and Kashmir improves by 57%.

BENGALURU: In the northeast the growth of banks, to more faculty positions in the universities and a spurt in the business activities has led to a rise of 31% regarding the number of people with their mother tongue as Kannada within the eight states of the region, the 2011 census shows.

At the same time, the Kannadiga population in Maharashtra, Goa and Andhra Pradesh has dropped by 20%, 9% and 5.5%, respectively, apparently because of more opportunities being given, than in their home state.

The count of Kannadigas in Jammu and Kashmir has improved by 57% which is largely due to the presence of Kannada Speaking soldiers. “It is possible that there were a greater number of soldiers from Karnataka posted during the census in the state,” renowned linguistics expert GN Devy said.

However, there is no comparison with the absolute numbers that is given and the long history of migration and settlement of Kannadigas in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra and Goa as opposed to other states, the latest linguistic data might be the future migration opportunities for Kannada speakers. 

The northeastern states have collectively witnessed an increase from 4,255 to 5,605 while in J&K, it was up from 4,418 to 6,953. Prof AR Vasavi from the National Institute for Advanced Studies (Nias) said that “We could say that the increase in the northeast is largely because of the greater presence of the four Karnataka-based banks (Corporation, Canara, Syndicate and Vijaya) and also the number of people taking up positions in educational institutions. But no thorough study has been conducted on this.”