Medha declines Karnataka award

February 09, 2012 12:29 am | Updated 12:29 am IST - NEW DELHI:

Medha Patkar

Medha Patkar

Social activist Medha Patkar has declined the Karnataka government's Basava Puraskara 2010 on grounds of “disagreement with certain State policies and inability of the government to deal with mining scam and other scandals.”

The award carries a citation and cash prize worth Rs. 10 lakh.

Ms. Patkar said:

“It would have been an honour to receive the award in the name of revolutionary saint poet, philosopher Shri Basaveshwara of the 12th century, who promoted social change, reform and harmony, but the collective opinion of movements I am associated with suggests that the Karnataka government has not been able to deal with the mining scam and other scandals.

“The Lokayukta controversy is not yet over and there are disagreements with people's movements on certain policies related to farmers, workers, unorganised sector workers, slum dwellers and the [State] government's attempts at privatisation and corporatisation of scarce natural resources — land, water, forests and minerals.”

“I, therefore, would like to state with humility my inability to accept the award, which you may be free to give to any other deserving activist,” she said in a letter to the State government on Tuesday.

Ms. Patkar, who is the founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the National Alliance of People's Movements, was chosen for the award for her “contribution towards social change and promotion of the principles which Saint Basaveshwara championed.”

The award was announced by the Department of Kannada and Culture through a government notification dated December 3, 2011.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.