Do not worry about your achievements in any field. All you need to do is use the right influence to be short-listed for the award. With more than 200 persons selected for this year’s award, the BBMP has made a mockery of its value.
Do you want to be conferred with the Kempegowda award, instituted by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)?
Do not worry about your achievements in any field. All you need to do is use the right influence to be short-listed for the award. With more than 200 persons selected for this year’s award, the BBMP has made a mockery of its value.
While the Karnataka government awarded 159 persons with the prestigious Karnataka Rajyotsava award in 25 categories for 2009-10, the BBMP has overtaken its big brother in presenting the awards for this year. It has finalised 230 persons for the Kempegowda award which will be presented on April 18.
However, sources said that another five may be added to the list.
During the Rajyotsava award ceremony last year, the government came under severe flak from the public, as well as the media for giving a mammoth list. But, interestingly the BBMP has gone a few notches higher by crossing the 200 mark. “There is no surprise if the list of awardees crosses 200. We will hold a meeting and finalise the names,” mayor SK Nataraj said on Friday.
According to a BBMP source, the awardees have been selected not on the basis of their services in their respective fields, but merely on influence.
“There is no yardstick for the selection or choosing a person, but the benchmark for getting an award depends on one’s influence in the government or BBMP. While the BBMP office received more than 300 applications for the awards from the public, each corporator has received more than 30 to 40 applications for the same. There was also huge pressure from corporators, mayor, ministers and influential people making a recommendation for the award,” the source said.
The award carries a prize of Rs25,000 in cash, a silver plate, medal, shawl, citation and Kempegowda memento for the 230 awardees. The BBMP will also honour 200 of its officers with Rs25,000, medal, shawl, citation and Kempegowda memento for their services. A sum of Rs5 crore has been set aside by the BBMP for the award ceremony.
It may be noted that four years back, only 82 persons received the Kempegowda award from the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. A member of one of the standing committees, on condition of anonymity, said that they wanted to restrict the awards to 70, but it had crossed 200. The BBMP received more than 1,000 applications for the awards.
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