The national Basava Krishi award given by the Panchamasali Peetha of Kudalasangama will be conferred on former Union Minister Sharad Pawar for his contribution to agriculture.
Jayamrutunjaya Swamy of the peetha told presspersons here on Saturday that they have been giving the award since 2012 to various personalities for their contribution to the field of agriculture.
So far, the peetha has given awards to Rajendra Singh, Anna Hazare, Medha Patkar, Baba Adawe, Manik Sarkar, and M.S. Swaminathan, he said.
He said the award ceremony would be held in the first week of February.
On Lingayat issue
Expressing dismay over the Union government rejecting the proposal of giving a separate religion tag to Lingayats, the seer said they were hopeful that at least Prime Minister Narendra Modi would reconsider their demand.
Asserting that they have no option other than seeking legal remedy, he said that legal experts have already started the work on approaching the Supreme Court.
Reservation
He welcomed the Centre’s decision of 10% reservation to economically backward sections in the general category.