K'taka Ratna award for Siddaganga Mutt Pontiff

Bangalore, Feb 22 (UNI) Sri Siddaganga Mutt pontiff Sri Shivakumara Swami will be conferred with the Karnataka Government's prestigious 'Karnataka Ratna' award on April one here for his yeoman service to mankind.

Disclosing this to newspersons here, Kannada and Culture Minister H D Mahadeva Prasad said the award function would be befitting as the seer would be completing 100 years on that day. The Government would also spend Rs five crore for taking up various activities in the next one year to celebrate the centenary, he added.

He said the earlier awardees were 'Rashtrakavi' Kuvempu, Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar, former Karnataka Chief Minister S Nijalingappa, noted scientist C N R Rao and eminent musician Bhimsen Joshi. The award carried a citation, shawl and a 50 gram gold memento featuring the State's emblem.

UNI