Prakash Raj among 70 chosen for Karnataka Rajyotsava Award

Bengaluru: The state government on Thursday announced 70 recipients for this year’s Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, naming achievers from various fields. 

Among the awardees are multilingual actor Prakash Raj, actress Vijayalakshmi Singh, senior Kannada writer Rahamat Tarikere, freedom fighter Konandur Lingappa, hockey player Ashish Kumar Ballal, retired IAS officer H Siddaiah, DH’s former associate editor K Subrahmanya and pourakarmika Fakkiri. 

Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi released the list at a press conference, noting that the selection was made for the first time without officially inviting applications. 

Tangadagi emphasised the new, merit-based selection approach, stating that the list of 70 recipients was finalised based on district-wise representation and through a rigorous process of social supervision, where 21 people from minor communities have been identified and awarded. 

He clarified that while some deserving candidates had applied voluntarily, the overall selection focused on merit and committee recommendations. 

“Most of the people recommended by members of the Selection Advisory Committee were selected, and I would like to express my gratitude to the members who met four or five times in selecting the deserving ones,” he added. 

The award comprises a 25-gram gold medal, a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh cash and a memento. 

Thirteen women have been selected for the prestigious honour.  For the first time in the history of the awards, two members of the Samagar Haralayya community have been identified and selected for the award. 

In line with a prior decision, no organisations have been awarded this time. 

The awards will be presented at a function at Ravindra Kalakshetra at 6 pm on November 1. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will lay garland to the Bhuvaneshwari statue at 8.30 am as part of the Rajyotsava celebrations.