Isro chief Somanath, golfer Aditi Ashok among Rajyotsava award winner this year

BENGALURU: The state government on Tuesday announced a list of 65 Rajyotsava awardees which includes Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman S Somanath and 10 organisations.

Making the announcement, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi said the recipients will also include two people from Davanagere and Uttara Kannada district who have crossed 100 years of age, 13 women, 54 men and one transgender from Bidar. The award includes a purse of Rs 5 lakh and a 25 gm gold medal and citation.

Golfer Aditi Ashok and Isro chairman S Somanath are among the award winners.

“We had received 2,166 recommendations from 26,555 people of which the list was pruned to 1,157 applications. After discussing with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, we have selected 65 individuals and organisations for the Rajyotsava award this year”, he said.

On the golden jubilee of the statehood, 10 organisations are being presented the award. “We are also honouring Huchchamma of Koppal district who donated her land for a school though she had not even applied”, he said.

Actors Bank Janardhan and Dingri Nagaraj have been selected under the cinema category.

Among the awardees include Dingri Nagaraj and B Janardhan (Bank Janardhan) for cinema, Aditi Ashok, Divya and Ashok Gadigeppa Enagi (sports), Dr Nayana S More, Neela M Kodli, Shabbir Ahmd, Dr S Balesh Bhajantri, (music/dance), A G Chidambara Rao Jambe, P Gangadhara Swamy, H B Sarojamma, Tayyabkhan M Inamdar, Dr Vishwanath Vamshakrutamath, P Thippeswamy (theatre), Dr C Ramachandra and Dr Prashanth Shetty (medicine), Prof C Naganna, Subbu Holeyar (H K Subbaiah), Satish Kulkarni, Lakshmipathi Kolar, Parapappa Gurupadappa Siddapura and Dr K Sharief (literature).