Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Learning Kannada from online classes and friends, and more

In the last decade, with a significant influx of migrant population that has made Bengaluru its home thanks to the booming IT sector, the city has seen the birth of several initiatives that seek to teach Kannada-speaking skills to non-natives. Apart from organised efforts — both paid and free online learning platforms — Kannada speakers are also taking it upon themselves to teach the language to their interested friends and acquaintances.

Around 300 to 400 people are currently engaged in Kannada Gottilla, which caters to those aspiring to master the basics of Kannada language. The platform, active for the past nine years, has successfully imparted language skills to 30,000 people so far. Meanwhile, Bindaas Aagi Kannada Mathadi, an initiative by Kannada Online Tuitions and Sarjapur Resident Welfare Association, is a free-of-cost platform that encourages Kannada learning and implementation for regular use.

Forest Department officials are in a fix over the intervention of elected representatives in enforcing laws meant to protect wildlife with regard to possession of wildlife articles. Former minister Kimmane Rathnakar of the Congress has written to the Karnataka Government suggesting that people be given time to surrender wildlife articles.

Politicians, cutting across political parties, maintain that exhibiting the horns of the Indian gaur or deer antlers is quite common in the Malnad region. Most houses possess one or two articles, which are prominently displayed. Hence, more time must be given to declare wildlife articles in their possession, they argue.

Karnataja Rajyotsava celebrations in Belagavi proved to be a task for the civic workers of the city corporation. Over six hours of clean-up, more than 7,000 kg of waste was picked up from the Rani Channamma Circle and surrounding areas where the celebrations were held.

Ragpickers, who are paid on the quantum of garbage collected, earned over ₹20,000, for collecting around two tonnes of plastic bottles. The other waste included footwear, plastic bottles and bags, clothes, and flowers. Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) officials said that around 4 tonnes of clothes, rubber and plastic, were sent to a private cement factory to be used as fuel.