Basavaraj Bommai announces ‘Karnataka Ratna’ award for late actor Puneeth Rajkumar

“After discussion with several people, I have decided to confer Karnataka Ratna award posthumously upon Puneeth Rajkumar,” Bommai said at the event held at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru.

“There are a lot of other suggestions, regarding honouring him with national level awards and our government in the upcoming cabinet will take a decision on them too,” he added.

Puneeth will be the 10th recipient of the Karnataka government’s highest civilian honour. Puneeth (46), a superstar in the Kannada film industry, died due to cardiac arrest on October 29. He is the youngest of the five children of thespian Dr Rajkumar.

Puneeth was laid to rest with full state honours at Kanteerava Studio in Bengaluru next to his father and mother on October 31.

Meanwhile, the decision was welcomed by the state unit of Congress and Opposition leader in the state assembly who was present at the event. He also requested the Chief Minister to request the centre to award ‘Padma Shri’ posthumously to Puneeth.

Puneeth debuted when he was just six-months-old and went on to win a national award as a child artiste for the film ‘Bettada Hoovu’.

Puneeth’s father Rajkumar was the first recipient of the Karnataka Ratna award in 1992, along with poet Kuvempu and the last Karnataka Ratna was awarded to Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Virendra Heggade for social service in the year 2009.

Other recipients of the award are Former Karnataka chief minister S Nijalingappa for contribution to politics, CNR Rao for science, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty for medical, Bhimsen Joshi for music, Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Math for social service and Dr J Javaregowda for education and literature.