Columnist Girish Linganna chosen for Development Journalism Award

Team Udayavani, Jan 5, 2025, 10:00 AM IST

Udupi: Columnist Girish Linganna has been selected for the prestigious ‘Development Journalism Award’ for 2019 conferred by the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Karnataka.

Known for his insightful writings on space, defense, and foreign policy, Linganna was chosen for his exceptional contributions to these fields. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

In a commendable gesture, Girish Linganna announced that he would donate the prize money to the Karnataka Working Journalists’ Union (KWJU) to establish an endowment fund in memory of Dr. Raja Ramanna, a renowned nuclear scientist from Karnataka. The interest from this fund will be used annually to award journalists or columnists who publish informative articles on science.

KWJU President Shivananad Tagadur welcomed Linganna’s proposal and confirmed the establishment of the endowment fund.

Swami Dr. Nirmalanandanatha Mahaswamiji of the Adichunchanagiri Math, congratulated Linganna on receiving the award. He stated that Linganna’s contributions in enhancing knowledge about space, defense, and foreign affairs have been instrumental in inspiring the younger generation and promoting an informed society.

Swamiji emphasized the need for more talented writers to emerge in these critical fields, saying Linganna’s achievement is a proud moment for the Vokkaliga community. He also lauded the endowment initiative, adding that it would foster interest in science writing among young journalists and serve as a fitting tribute to Dr. Raja Ramanna’s legacy.

The Mahadeshwara Hills Swamiji and Saluru Brihanmath Swamiji also extended their congratulations to Linganna, praising his efforts in disseminating knowledge about essential scientific and international topics.

The state government recently announced the recipients of the Development and Environment Journalism Awards for the years 2017 to 2023. Among the Development Journalism awardees are Chi Ja Rajeev (2017), Devaiah Guttedar (2018), Girish Linganna (2019), Yogesh MN (2020), Naushad Bijapur (2021), Satish GT (2022), and S Girish Babu (2023).

The awardees for Environment Journalism include Vijayalakshami Shibaroor (2017), BMT Rajeev (2018), Vinod Naik (2019), Maltesh Angura (2020), Sudhir Shetty (2021), Mallikarjun Hosapalya (2022) and R Manjunath (2023).