BENGALURU: The state government will do away with the process of nominations to choose recipients of Karnataka Rajyotsava awards from next year, and the cash prize will be increased to Rs 5 lakh from the existing Rs 1 lakh.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday evening announced that the existing system of receiving applications for selection of the nominees will be shelved to make it more viable. He said the age limit will be reduced to include those under 60 years and the court will be approached for this.
The process of nomination will be replaced by direct selection by the government’s recommendation and selection committee. Meanwhile, winners of Mataad Mataad Kannada were also awarded at the event at Kanteerva Stadium on Monday.
Each year the awards are given in line with the number of years that the Karnataka Rajyothsava is celebrated. This year saw 66 awardees each taking home a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Awardees are chosen from various fields based on their social contributions or special achievements. The age limit of 60 is not applicable to national and international award winners and sportspersons at present.