No Kannada, no trade licence: Businesses told to upload geotagged photos of signboards | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Commercial and industrial establishments across Karnataka will now have to upload geotagged photographs of their signboards to renew trade licences, as district administrations begin enforcing The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Act, 2024.The amended law mandates Kannada must occupy 60% of the space on all business, industrial, and commercial signages — specifically on the upper half of the board. English or other languages can occupy the rest of the space.To ensure compliance, deputy commissioners in many districts have issued circulars instructing trade licence applicants to submit photographic proof of their Kannada signage. The move follows review meetings conducted by Kannada Development Authority (KDA) in collaboration with local administrations.“We have instructed district administrations to mandate commercial and industrial establishments submit geotagged photographs of their signages as proof to get confirmation about the compliance of 60% Kannada signage,” said KDA chairperson Purushottama Bilimale. “The DCs and assistant commissioners (ACs) of sub-divisions are issuing orders to ensure the law is followed.”He said KDA had already covered 19 districts, holding meetings with respective deputy commissioners and district officials, and that similar reviews will be conducted in the remaining districts soon.In parallel, some deputy commissioners have written to the state govt seeking approval to link the Kannada signage requirement to industrial benefits under the new Karnataka Industrial Policy 2025–30. The proposal would make photographic evidence of Kannada signage a precondition to access state incentives and concessions.KDA’s intensified push comes after concerns that many businesses were ignoring signage rules, despite the amendment being notified earlier this year. The submission of geotagged photos is intended to eliminate ambiguity and offer clear, location-tagged evidence of compliance. Bilimale said the goal is not punitive but to promote uniform respect for Kannada across commercial spaces in the state.
