Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Tuesday that the late Puneeth Rajkumar will be conferred with the ‘Karnataka Ratna’ award posthumously.

Bommai made the announcement while speaking at ‘Puneetha Namana’, an event organized by the Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) in association with Sandalwood film actors’ and technicians’ associations to pay homage to the actor.

“After discussion with several people, I have decided to confer the 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 honoring 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 honor.

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 the thespian Dr.

Rajkumar.

Puneeth was laid to rest with full state honors 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 the Opposition leader in the state assembly who was present at the event.

He also requested the Chief Minister to request the center 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, C.

N.

R.

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.

In another incident, there was an attempt to derail a loaded goods train in Rajasthan's Ajmer district by placing cement blocks on the tracks of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

No casualties were reported.

Similar incidents occurred in Kanpur and Pali districts.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation officials say a case has been registered and is under investigation.

This was the first such incident on the Western Corridor.

Train movement was not affected.