Going by its assurance of restricting the number of Rajyotsava Awards to 50, the State Government on Sunday announced just as many names for the awards for the year 2011.
However, it did not adhere to its other parameter of giving the awards to only those aged above 50 years, except in the sports category, as some of the awardees were younger and even in their 30s.
Prominent among the awardees are Magsaysay Award winner Harish Hande, Arjuna awardees Tejaswini Bai and Ramesh Tikaram, Kannada writers Arvind Malagatti and Purushothama Bilimale and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's London Chief M.N. Nanda Kumar. Mr. Kumar is the son-in-law of the former Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Mathoor Krishnamurthy.
Apart from 48 individuals, two organisations, Mahatma Gandhi Khadi Gramodyoa Sangha of Hudali in Belgaum district and Shantivana Trust of Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district will also be given the awards for their services in social sector.
Kannada and Culture Minister Govind M. Karjol told presspersons here that Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda would present the awards at the official 56th Rajyotsava celebrations on November 1 to be held in Bangalore. The awardees will get Rs. 1 lakh cash prize, a gold medal weighing 20 gm and a citation.
Though successive Chief Ministers had earlier claimed that they would restrict the number of awards to 50, their attempts remained futile and the lists even touched 180. There have been instances when names were added to the list minutes before the formal award function started.
Mr. Karjol said that though the committee made best attempts to give representation to most districts and social groups, nobody was selected from Yadgir district. Only seven women figured in the list, including one sportsperson.
He said that the committee had received 4,000 applications for the award. One of the applicants had submitted supporting documents of 1,500 pages, Mr. Karjol said without revealing the name.
