Awards & Honours - Current Affairs for September, 2015

Education world bestowed the Lifetime Achievement in Education Leadership Award 2015 on Dr Ramdas M Pai, Chancellor Manipal University and chairman, Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) on 26th September 2015. Pau has led the growth and development of Manipal University into the largest private provider of globally accepted professional education. MEMG has also acquired an international reputation form development of high quality medical education. Pai was also inducted into the EducationWorld Hall of Fame of Indian Education.

Prince Charles has awarded Indo British van driver Dee Patel with the Pride of Britain Award, for risking his life to save others. Pride of Britain awards was instituted in 1999 by Peter Willis. It is an annual award ceremony taking place in the UK and is given to British persons showing immense courage in crisis. The award is organised in partnership with the Daily Mirror, Lidl, Good Morning Britain and The Prince’s Trust.

University of Toronto assistant professor, Canada’s mathematician Jacob Tsimerman has won the 2015 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize. His primary area of research is in number theory. Founded by Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy University in 2005 awards SASTRA Ramanujan prize every year to a young mathematician. The age limit for the prize is 32 which was also the age at which noted mathematician Ramanujan died, after whom the award has been named. The award carries a cash prize of USD 10,000.

An anti-poaching unit, the Black Mamba has received the UN champions of the Earth award from the UN. Founded in 2013, it comprises 23 women and 3 men and operated in the Balule Natural Reserve in S. Africa to protect rhinos. S. Africa reported record 1215 rhinos poached in 2014.

DG, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. Girish Sahni, on the CSIR Foundation Day on 26th September conferred the CSIR Award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development (CAIRD) - 2014 upon CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow for “Enhancing incomes of farm communities through Vetiver based Technological Interventions”. The CAIRD award was constituted in 2006 for honouring science and technology innovations which transform the lives of rural persons. The award carries a cash prize of INR 10 lakh as well as a shield and citation.

Certificate was given by Mrs Vijaya Ghose, Editor Limca Book of Records to Lt Gen A Chakravarty in the august presence of Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar. NCC created this record with 9,50,210 NCC cadets performing Yoga simultaneously at 1767 venues across India on 21 June 2015. Lt Gen A Chakravarty is the DG of NCC.

An Indian Singaporean doctor aged 75 years has been honoured by Indian community for contributing 38 years in healthcare and community service through construction of nursing homes.
Dr. Uma Rajan became the first women recipient of the fifth edition of the award by Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah. As part of the award, she received $10,000 which she contributed to numerous voluntary welfare organisations. Dr. Rajan is also a founding members of the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society and recipient of Natyakala Bushanam (ornament of dance) title from the Indian Institute of Fine Arts in Chennai in 1954.

Indian film “Angry Indian Goddesses” on women empowerment has been judged runner up at TIFF. Film has been directed by Pan Nalin and was judged the first runner-up for the Grolsch People’s Choice Award at the festival. It is a powerful portrayal of girl power. TIFF was founded in 1976 and is a key event in the film world.

EPFO has been awarded the SKOCH prize for Smart Governance for its initiatives on UAN Programme and Transformation of Social Security Agenda in India. This is the fifth award for EPFO in 2 years. EPFO was also awarded two SKOCH Order-of-Merit on 22nd September, one for launching UAN for EPFO members and another for transformation of Social Security Agenda in India. EPFO has launched mobile apps and e-governance initiatives for which it has been awarded.

PepsiCo Chairman Indra Nooyi and HT Group chairperson Shobhana Bharatia were on 22 September 2015 awarded with the 2015 Global Leadership Award of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) for their roles as top women leaders in the business world and their commitment to a more inclusive global economy. Indian-American artist Natvar Bhavsar was awarded with the Artistic Achievement Award for abstract expressionism and colour-field painting. The largest bilateral trade association in the US, with presence in NY, New Delhi and Silicon Valley, USIBC was formed in 1975.

13 year old Oriya student Sripada Srisai Lalita Prasida, has won the Community Impact Award at the Google Science Fair in the 13-15 years age category for developing a water purifier that works using waste corn cobs. A standard 9th student at DPS Damanjodi in Koratpur district, Prasida was awarded USD 10,000 as prize money apart from receiving mentorship from Google. Prasida used waste corn cobs in order to clean purify water from domestic as well as industrial wastes by applying the principle of adsorption. She based her invention on the principle that waste corn cobs are able to adsorb contaminants like salt oxides, detergent, suspended particles, coloured dyes, oil, grease and certain heavy metals.

Gwalior, gets Best Heritage City award.

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the National Tourism Awards 2013-2014 to following awardees -

- The state of Gujarat: Best State/UT for Comprehensive Tourism Development

- Heritage City Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh: Best Heritage City

- Municipal Council of Maheshwar (Distt.Khargone) in Madhya Pradesh: Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in B Category.

- Gujarat: Best Film Promotion Friendly State/Union territory.

- Department of Tourism of Kerala: Most Innovative use of Information technology.

- The Great backwaters of Kerala by Kerala Tourism: Best Tourism Film.

- The Coffee Table Book Gujarat’s 50 Golden Destinations by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd: Best Tourism Promotion Publicity material.

- M/s Kuoni Travel India Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon: Best Inbound Tour Operators/Travel agents in the category of earning Foreign Exchange of 100 crore rupees or more annually.

- M/s Trail Blazer Tours India Pvt: earning Foreign Exchange of 50-100 crore rupees in a year.

- M/s Eco Mobility and Hospitality Pvt Ltd: Category I of Tourist Transport Operator.

- M/s Snow Leopard Adventure Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon: Best Adventure Tour Operator.

National Tourism Awards are presented each year Union Ministry of Tourism to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. These awards are being given since the early 1990s.

The following are awarded-State Governments, Union Territories, hotels, travel agents, tour operators and individuals in recognition of their performance in their respective fields.

Comprehensive Development of Tourism, Best Rural Tourism Project, Medical Tourism Facilities, Best Heritage City, Best Heritage Walk, Best Hotels, Awards to Inbound Tour Operators and Travel Agents are some of the categories in which the award is given.

Well known Urdu scholar Shamim Hanfi was awarded the Jnangarima Manad Alankaran by Bharatiya Jnanpith for his works. He is best known for books like Ghazal Ka Naya Manzarnama, Jadidiyat ki Falsafiyani Asas and Infiradi Shaoor aur Ijtemai Zindagi. Born on 17th November 1938 in Sultanpur, UP, he moved to Allahabadd for higher studies and worked as a freelance contributor for several Hindi and Urdu periodicals and newspapers. Bharatiya Jnanpith instituted the Jnangarima Manad Alankaran award in 2015 to commemorate 70 years of the institution and it identifies the contribution of writers in Indian languages. A Saraswati statue, a silver citation and a shawl is given to the recipient of this literary honour.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) won the best airport award for the year 2013-14 at the National Tourism Awards ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan on 18th September 2015 .The awards were presented under different categories of travel, tourism and hospitality. All the participating airports were judged on 7 parameters--tourist-friendly infrastructure, maintenance and upkeep, adaptation of eco-friendly practices, availability of transport facility from the airport to the nearest city centre, display of proper signage at important locations, facilities for the disabled, and other relevant features. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL)is a JV between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and GMR Group-led consortium. IGIA is the largest airport in south Asia, serving over 115 destinations, with 56 international and 8 domestic airlines.

Times Group Books has won a national award for tourism under the “excellence in publishing -English” for the travel guide Experience Himachal On The Road, written by Raaja Bhasin. Union tourism ministry presented the award to encourage healthy competition with the aim of promoting tourism.

The VRP and NSA awards for 2013 were bestowed on persons chosen for this honour. For the VRP, of a total of 193 applications, 28 awards were given to 132 individuals. NSA award winners were 53 in number with 42 runners up selected from 199 applications under various schemes. VRP is awarded to workers/groups of workers in 3 categories: Class A- 5 of 75000 rupees each, Class B- 8 of 50000 rupees each and Class C- 15 of 25000 rupees each. NSA was given under 12 schemes from which 10 are for Factories/Construction Sites/Installations under AERB and two are for Ports. The awards have been conferred since 1965 and are operated by the technical wing of the Union Minister of Labour and Employment, the Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Mumbai.

Indian American teen entrepreneur Swetha Prabhakaran who has founded Everybody Code Now! will receive the Champions of Change award from the White House. She founded the non profit to empower youth to become entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers. She has formulated a mentorship program for STEM/Science Technology Engineering and Math activities in school. She is among 11 young women who are selected for this award.

RAeS has conferred Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy with the prestigious Silver Medal. He is the scientific adviser to MoD and eminent DRDO missile scientist. Medal was given for his contribution to develop advanced avionic sensors and systems for major national strategic programmes and systems of defence applicatio, aerospace and aeronautics in India. RAeS was established in 1866. Its first Gold medal was conferred in 1909 on Orviile and Wilbur Wright who developed aeroplanes.

A native of Srikakulam District’s Kintali village, Dr. K. S. Rado has bagged the Padamshri in 2008. He is also a world record holder for creating the largest flag for HIV AIDS awareness. Apart from being a Guinness Book World Records Holder, he is the first Indian doctor of Telugu origin to receive the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman. He will be facilitated at the Global Indian Summit for his work in developing reasonable priced medicines and tools for diagnosing HIV AIDS. Indian youth account for 60% of HIV AIDS cases.

MMTC has won the award instituted by the Engineering Export Promotion Council for India. The award was given at the 46th National EEPC Awards for Export Excellence. The CMD of MMTC, Ved Prakash received the certificate and trophy from Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, N. Sitaraman at Vigyan Bhawan.

Launched on the 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, this annual award is given to persons and institutions for bring social, economic and political transformation through Gandhian methods. The first Gandhi Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Julius K.Nyerere. Subsequent awardess include Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne (1996) Dr. Gerhard Fischer (1997), Rama Krishna Mission (1998), Baba Amte (India) (1999), Dr. Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh (Jointly) (2000), Dr. John Hume (2001), Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan (2002), Archbishop Desmond Tutu(2005) and Sh. Chandi Prasad Bhatt (2013). Jury for the 2014 Gandhi Peace Prize was chaired by PM Modi. Other members include CJI Dattu, Congress Leader M. Kharge, MP(LS) L.K. Advani, and ex governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

ISRO has won the Gandhi Peace Prize for transforming the nation and acting as a force multiplier in as many as 170 space technology projects. It has associated with 60 ministries and departments to improve living conditions of common man. It has also diversified its Bhuavan/ geo spatial platform recently apart from developing own satellite navigation system IRNSS/Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System and GAGAN/ GPS Aided and Geo Augmented Navigation.

This award is given to top performing govt. organisations and private organisations working with the government.

Former Vice-Chancellor of Hampi University, M M Kalburgi, who won the Sahitya Akademi award for his collection of research articles in 2006, was attacked at his residence by unidentified assailants in Karnataka on August 30. Uday Prakash was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in 2010 for the stories collection 'Mohan Das'. Kalburgi had won the central and state Sahitya Akademi awards.

Indian-American Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri has been selected for the prestigious 2014 National Humanities Medal which would be presented to her by US President Barack Obama. She has been selected for the award for enlarging the human story. The first National Humanities Medal was awarded in 1996.