Arakeri wins inaugural Ambedkar Award

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will present the Ambedkar Award, being instituted by the State government to mark Ambedkar jayanti from this year onwards, to social activist and former legislator S S Arakeri on Tuesday. The award entails Rs 5 lakh and a 20 gram gold medal.

Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya told the media here on Monday that his department had constituted a selection committee headed by litterateur Siddalingaiah, which had zeroed in on Arakeri’s name, without any intervention from the government.

Siddalingaiah said that Arakeri, one of the veteran social activists, had extensively propagated B R Ambedkar’s philosophies. He was also one among the five lakh dalits, who converted to Buddhism along with Ambedkar in Nagpur in the year 1956.

Siddalingaiah said that Arakeri was also instrumental in convincing the government to install a portrait of Ambedkar inside the Legislative Assembly and the statute in front of Vidhana Soudha. The road in front of Vidhana Soudha was named Ambedkar Veedhi, thanks to Arakeri’s efforts.  
He said the committee had received 51 applications from across the State.