The Cabinet on Thursday decided to confer the State’s highest civilian award ‘Karnataka Rathna’ posthumously on popular Kannada film actors Vishnuvardhan and B. Sarojadevi. While Vishnuvardhan died in December 2009, Sarojadevi passed away in July this year.Vishnuvardhan acted in over 200 films in his four-decade-long career and Sarojadevi starred in more than 200 films in a career spanning six decades.Recommendation for Bharat Ratna to Kuvempu:The Cabinet also decided to recommend to the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna posthumously on Kannada literary icon Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa popularly known by his penname Kuvempu. The writer passed away in November, 1994. Kuvempu, who is the first Kannada writer to receive the Jnanpith Award, is also the author of the State anthem Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate.Published - September 11, 2025 09:28 pm IST