1. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023
Tags: Awards
President Draupadi Murmu honored 27 overseas Indians with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on 10 January 2023 at the concluding session of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention.
An Overview of the news
It is the highest award given to overseas Indians for their distinguished contributions and achievements abroad.
Chief among the recipients of the award were Guyana President Mohamed Irfan Ali and Suriname President Chandrika Prasad Santokhi. In this context, some of the major award recipients, their country and related field have been mentioned as follows:
Awardee Country Region
Archana Sharma Switzerland Science and Technology
Reena Pushkarna Israel Business and Social Welfare
Vaikuntham Iyer Canada Education, Health, Clean Tech.
Shivakumar Nadesan Sri Lanka Community Welfare
Jagdish Chennupati Australia Science, Technology, Education
Sanjeev Mehta Bhutan Education
Dilip Lundo Brazil Art-Culture-Education
Alexander Maliakale Brunei Medicine
Joginder Singh Nijjar Croatia Art & Culture
Ramji Prasad Denmark IT
Kannan Ambalam Ethiopia Community Welfare
Selection of Honor Recipients
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman recipients are selected by a committee headed by the Vice President. In which the External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) is its Vice-Chairman. While other members of the committee come from different places.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the committee considers the nominations for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award and unanimously the winners are selected.
The awardees are expatriates who have made a mark abroad through their work in different fields.
2. Indian peacekeepers honoured with UN Medal for Exemplary Service
Tags: Awards
Over 1,000 Indian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) were awarded the prestigious United Nations Medal at an award ceremony.
An overview of the news
At a special award ceremony in Upper Nile, 1,171 peacekeepers from India deployed with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan were awarded the United Nations Medal for their exemplary service.
For the first time, a woman officer of the Indian Army, Major Jasmine Chatha, led the parade of the Indian contingent at the award ceremony in Upper Nile.
India is one of the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions
Peacekeepers of India are commended for their excellent work and duties while serving in missions.
As of June 2022, 2370 Indian military personnel are deployed with UNMISS, second only to Rwanda (2637).
About UN Peacekeeping
UN peacekeeping began in 1948 when the UN Security Council authorised the deployment of UN military observers in the Middle East.
It helps to bring countries from conflict to a difficult path of peace.
It deploys soldiers and police from all over the world for peacekeeping.
India is one of the largest military and police contributors to UN peacekeeping operations.
There are currently more than 5,700 Indian peacekeepers deployed in nine of the 12 UN peacekeeping missions.
3. RRR's Naatu Naatu wins historic Golden Globe for best original song
Tags: Awards
South Cinema's film RRR has created history at the 80th 'Golden Globe Awards 2023' award ceremony, the film's Telugu song 'Naatu Naatu' has won the Best Song award.
An overview of the news
'Naatu Naatu' is the first Indian song to win this prestigious award.
The song was composed by MM Keeravani and sung by Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj.
In the 'Golden Globe Awards 2023' award, the film 'RRR' received nominations in two categories, including 'Best Film - Non-English' and the other 'Best Original Song - Motion Picture'.
'RRR' directed by Rajamouli is based on nationalism and brotherhood.
It stars famous actors Ram Charan and Jr. NTR in lead roles.
The two play real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem in the film.
The film is based on a fictional story set in the pre-independence era.
The film 'RRR' is the first Indian film after two decades to be nominated for the awards.
Rajamouli recently won the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director.
Earlier in the 'Foreign Language' category, the films 'Salaam Bombay!' (1988) and 'Monsoon Wedding' (2001) were nominated. Both these films were directed by Mira Nair and both the films are completely different from 'RRR'.
4. Vivek Agnihotri's 'The Kashmir Files' selected for Oscars 2023
Tags: Awards
Vivek Agnihotri's film 'The Kashmir Files' has been shortlisted for Oscars 2023. That means now this film has qualified to get an Oscar.
An overview of the news
Actors Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborthy, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi are also shortlisted for the best actor category.
Rishabh Shetty's 'Kantara', Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', Paan Nalin's 'The Chello Show' and SS Rajamouli's 'RRR' have also made it to the Oscar shortlist.
Originally made in Kannada with a budget of less than Rs 16 crore, 'Kantara' went on to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films with Rs 400 crore at the box office.
Marathi films Me Vasantrao, Tujhysa Sathi Khai Hi, Kannada film 'Vikrant Rona' and R Madhavan's 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect' have also been shortlisted for Oscars 2023.
The film 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect' is a biopic of ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was accused of spying for ISRO and was later acquitted.
Apart from these, Shaunak Sen and Kartiki Gonsalves' documentary 'All That Breathes' 'The Elephant Whispers' is also a part of the list.
5. CJI Chandrachud to be conferred with 'Award for Global Leadership' by Harvard Law School Center
Tags: Awards
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has been selected for the "Award for Global Leadership" by the Harvard Law School Center in recognition of his lifetime service to the legal profession nationally and internationally.
An Overview of the news
The award was presented to CJI Chandrachud in an online program on 11 January 2023.
Chandrachud holds an LLM degree and a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD) from Harvard Law School in the United States.
Justice Chandrachud, who has been a part of the apex court bench which delivered several landmark judgments including the Ayodhya land dispute case.
Dr DY Chandrachud
Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud was born on 11 November 1959 in Mumbai.
He did his schooling from St. Columbus School and did his BA Honors in Economics from St. Stephen's College followed by LLB from Campus Law Center, University of Delhi followed by LLM and Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Harvard Law School, USA .
Judicial Life of Dr. DY Chandrachud
Justice Chandrachud was designated a Senior Advocate by the Bombay High Court in June 1998 and was appointed Additional Solicitor General in the same year.
Justice Chandrachud was a judge of the Bombay High Court from 29 March 2000 to 31 October 2013.
After this he was appointed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. On November 9, 2022, he took oath as the 50th CJI.
6. Odisha wins World Habitat Award 2023 for its JAGA Mission
Tags: Awards State News
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Odisha government’s slum improvement and land titling programme, JAGA (Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission) Mission has won the UN-Habitat’s World Habitat Awards 2023. This year it was awarded the bronze medal.
This is the second time that the programme has received the UN-Habitat’s World Habitat Award. In 2019, the project received the World Habitat Awards for its success in providing land tenure security to slum dwellers.
This award is given by World Habitat, a United Kingdom -based organization, in partnership with United Nation (UN)-Habitat, every year, in recognition of innovative, outstanding, and revolutionary ideas, projects, and programmes from across the world.
JAGA Mission Plan of the Odisha Government
The Govt. of Odisha in May 2018 launched JAGA Mission based on the Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2017”.
It is the world’s largest slum titling and upgradation initiative.
It aims to make Odisha the first state in India to be slum free by the end of 2023.
Achievements of the Mission
- According to the state government under the JAGA mission out of 2,919 slums in the state;
- 100 percent of households in 2,724 slums have been provided with pipe water connections,
- 707 slums have transformed fully into liveable habitats,
- 100 percent of households in 666 slums have individual toilets, and
- 8 cities have become slum-free.”
- In the last five years, 1, 75,000 families have been granted land tenure security.
Chief Minister of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik
7. 'Nijat' campaign selected for International IACP Awards 2022
Tags: Awards
The US-based international organisation International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has selected Chhattisgarh Police's anti-drug and illicit liquor campaign 'Nijat' for 'Leadership in Crime Prevention' in the institutional category.
Important facts
In early 2022, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), an organisation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, included the 'Nijat' campaign among the thirty best smart-policing campaigns in the country.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), an international organisation of America, has been greatly impressed by the effective implementation of Rajnandgaon Police's anti-drug and illegal liquor campaign and its results.
About 'Nijat' campaign
It was launched by the Chhattisgarh Police under the leadership of IPS officer Santosh Kumar Singh, who launched an intensive drive against drug addiction and illicit liquor in the districts of Koriya, Rajnandgaon and presently Korba.
Under this campaign, a comprehensive awareness campaign is also being run among the people against drugs from city to village.
The only successful campaign to create a drug free society with missionary zeal - 'Nijat' has seen amazing results.
The campaign undertook to end the illegal trade of illegal drugs, narcotics and alcohol as well as prevent its smuggling.
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
It is the world's largest and most influential professional association for police leaders.
With more than 32,000 members in more than 170 countries, it is a recognized leader in global policing committed to advancing safer communities through thoughtful, progressive police leadership.
It was established in 1893.
It is based in Alexandria, Virginia (United States).
8. IIT Madras’ BS in Data Science and NPTEL Win Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards
Tags: Awards
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has won key recognition in Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards, referred to as ‘the Oscars of Education’.
Important facts
The IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications won Silver in the ‘Best Online Program’ category, while NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning), a joint initiative of IITs and IISc, won Gold in the ‘Lifelong Learning category.’
The Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of educators, institutions and organizations that drive innovation and excellence in education.
The award categories have been designed to reflect the diversity of the education sector.
The winners are selected by an expert panel. This year's award ceremony was held recently at the Wharton Campus, Philadelphia, USA.
IIT Madras's BS Degree program
The program currently has more than 15,000 students enrolled at various levels.
It aims to help students stay ahead in their career journey. The program is in hybrid mode consisting of online delivery and in-person assessment.
National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL)
NPTEL offers more than 4,000 courses for certification, having over two crore enrolments and more than 23 lakh examination registrations.
It is India’s largest technical dissemination program. It is a consortium of seven IITs and IISc, and IIT Madras leads this effort.
It has won Gold in the Lifelong Learning category for providing opportunities for personal and professional development, including upskilling and re-skilling.
9. The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2021-22 jointly won by Sudeep Sen and Shobhana Kumar
Tags: Awards
The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2021-22 has been jointly won by Sudeep Sen for his genre and formbender Anthropocene : Climate Change, Contagion, Consolation (Pippa Rann Books & Media, 2021) and Shobhana Kumar for her haibun collection 'A Sky Full of Bucket Lists' (Red River, 2021).
Important facts
The Tagore Award for Social Achievement was given to Sanjay K. Roy, the producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival.
The winners were presented with $10,000 and a statue of Rabindranath Tagore at the India International Center on 26 December.
Sudip Sen won the award for his remarkable work in 'Anthropocene: Climate Change, Contagion, Consolation', a collection of poetry, prose, creative non-fiction and photography.
His poems on the pandemic point to the healing and sensitivity that still exist as human qualities.
Shobhana Kumar won the Tagore Prize for her outstanding work in A Sky Full of Bucket Lists, a collection of poems in the Japanese haibun style.
Haibun is a story or narration based on experience in which one's own sensibilities are threaded.
It is a contemporary literary form born in Japan combining prose and haiku.
About Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize
The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Award was instituted in 2018 to annually recognize literary and social achievements.
In 2020, Raj Kamal Jha, editor-in-chief, The Indian Express, won the award for The City and the Sea (2019, Penguin Books), and in 2019, it was awarded posthumously to Kabir for One Hundred Poems of Kabir.
10. Sahitya Akademi Award 2022
Tags: Awards
Sahitya Akademi Award 2022 has been announced for the year 2022 by Sahitya Akademi.
Important facts
Sahitya Akademi has announced awards in different languages, which include poetry, story, short story, drama, literary criticism, autobiography, literary past.
These awards will be presented on 11 March 2023 in New Delhi. This year, the famous Hindi poet Badri Narayan will be given the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Apart from this, Anuradha Roy for English and Anees Ashfaq for Urdu will be given this year's Sahitya Akademi Award.
List of Sahitya Akademi Award Winners for the Year 2022
Language Title and Genre Author Name
Assamese Bhool Satya (Short Stories) Manoj Kumar Goswami
Bodo Sanshrini Modira (Poetry) Rashmi Chowdhary
Dogri Chhe Rupak (Drama) Veena Gupta
English All the Lives We Never Lived (Novel) Anuradha Rai
Gujrati Jatan (Autobiographical Essay) Ghulam Mohammed Shaikh
Hindi Tumdi Ke Shabd, Poem-Collection Badri Narayan
Kannada Bahutvaad Bharat Mattu Buddha Tatvikate Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy
Kashmiri Dab (Literary Criticism) Farooq Fayaz
Konkani Amritvel (Novel) Maya Anil Kharangte
Maithili Pen-drive Me Prithvi (Poetry) Ajit Azad
Malayalam Ashante Sitayanam (Literary Criticism) M. Thomas Mathew
Manipuri Leironnung (Poetry) Koijam Shantibala
Marathi Deyhiy Sondechya Bahulya (Novel) Pravin DashrathBandekar
Nepali Sino (Play) K.B. Nepali
Odia Dayanadi (Poetry) Gayatribala Panda
Punjabi Main Ayanghosh Nahi (Short Stories) Surjit
Rajasthani Alekhun Amba (Play) Kamal Ranga
Sanskrit Deepmanikyam (Poetry) Janardan Prasad Pandey 'Mani'
Santali Sabarnaka Balire Sanan' Panjay (Poetry) Kajli Soren (Jagannath Soren)
Sindhi Sindhi Literature Jo Muktsar Itihaas Kanhaiyalal Lekhwani
Tamil Kala Pani (Novel) M. Rajendran
Telugu Manodharamparagam (Novel) Madhuranthakam Narendra
Urdu Khwab Sarab (Novel) Anees Ashfaq
