JOIN USKannada and Culture Minister Umashree on Tuesday conferred Karnataka Lalithakala Academy “Lifetime Achievement” award on six senior artists, for their contribution to the field of art. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 10,000 and a memento.
The Academy also awarded 10 winners of the 43rd Annual Art Exhibition with a cash prize of Rs 5,000 cash and a memento, respectively. The awardees, however, were unhappy with the cash prize. “Artists contribute a lot to their fields and keep the art rich. But they remain poor. The money is given is not sufficient for us,” said Chandrakantha Kusanuru from Belagavi, who was conferred with the award.
President of the Karnataka Lalithakala Academy M S Murthy said that Academy too was embarrassed with the cash prize and had proposed to increase the cash incentives of Rs 10,000 to Rs 75,000 and Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000. “Due to technical glitches, the proposal was not implemented yet, though the minister had agreed,” he added.