State govt yet to present Karnataka Ratna awards 11 months after announcement

BENGALURU: In what can be termed as disrespect to ‘Karnataka Ratnas, the state government announced the award but forgot to present it to the awardees. Even after a year since the announcement of the award, the government is delaying and not conferring the honour.

The government had announced Karnataka Ratna awards to actor Vishnuvardhan and actress B Saroja Devi posthumously. Along with Vishnuvardhan and B Saroja Devi, the government has also accepted requests to give Karnataka Ratna to former CM S M Krishna and late actor Ambareesh.

The 2025-26 Karnataka Ratna award was announced 11 months ago, but there is no clarity from the government about presenting the award. Officials say they are still looking for a convenient date, time and venue to present the award.

On September 12, 2025, then CM Siddaramaiah announced Karnataka Ratna awards to actor Vishnuvardhan and actress B Saroja Devi. Now, D K Shivakumar has taken over the reins, but the government still hasn’t given the award. Information about the reason for not giving the award will be provided in the House by the Kannada and Culture Department.