1. 68th National Film Awards : Soorarai Pottru wins Best Film award
Tags: Awards National News
Tamil movie “Soorarai Pottru” got national awards for the Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Background Score and the Best Screenplay at the 68th National Film Awards-2020 announced on 22 July.
Important facts
The movie also won the prize of Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The film is inspired by the real-life story of GR Gopinath, the founder of India's first low-cost airline.
The story of this film focuses on the dream of providing low cost air travel to common people.
Soorarai Pottru is produced by Suriya and Guneet Monga under their 2D Entertainment and Sikhya Entertainment banners.
Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn shared the best actor title with Suriya for his performance in the period drama 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'.
This year, the winners were selected from 305 feature films in 30 languages and 148 non-feature films in 28 languages that were received as entries.
The winners were selected by a 10-member jury headed by Hindi filmmaker Vipul Shah.
The awards were announced by jury member Dharam Gulati.
All the notable awards are as follows-
Best Feature Film - 'Soorarai Pottru'
Best Actor (shared) - Suriya for 'Soorarai Pottru' Ajay Devgn for 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'
Best Actress - Aparna Balamurali for 'Soorarai Pottru'
Best Popular Film - Providing Wholesome Entertainment 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'
Best Director (posthumous award) - KR Sachidanandan, better known as Sachy, for 'Ayyappanum Koshiyum'
Best Supporting Actor Award - Biju Menon for 'Ayyappanum Koshiyum'
Best Supporting Actress - Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli for 'Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum' (Tamil)
Best Screenplay - Shalini Usha Nair and Sudha Kongara for 'Soorarai Pottru'
Best Music Direction (Background Score) - GV Prakash Kumar for 'Soorarai Pottru'
Best Action Direction (Stunt Choreography) - 'Ayyappanum Koshiyum'
Best Playback Female Singer - Nanchamma for 'Ayyappanum Koshiyum'
Best Playback Singer Male - Rahul Deshpande for 'Mi Vasantrao' (Marathi)
Best Editing - Sreekar Prasad for 'Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum'
Best Hindi Film - 'Toolsidas Junior'
Best Music Direction (Songs) - Thaman S for 'Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo' (Telugu)
Best Lyrics - Manoj Muntashir for 'Saina' (Hindi)
Best Make-up Artist - TV Rambabu for 'Natyam' (Telugu)
Best Choreography - Sandhya Raju for 'Natyam'
Indira Gandhi Award - Best Debut Film of a Director Madonne Ashwin for 'Mandela' (Tamil)
Best Dialogue Writer - Madonne Ashwin for 'Mandela'
Best Cinematography - Supratim Bhol for 'Avijatrik' (Bengali)
Most Film-Friendly State - Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh
Best Book on Cinema - Kishwar Desai for 'The Longest Kiss'
About National Film Awards
It was established in 1954.
This Awards is one of the most prestigious and much looked-forward-to events in the country.
Awards are given in three categories - Feature, Non-Features and Best Writing on Cinema.
The winners of the awards are decided by a jury consisting of eminent persons in the fields of cinema, other allied arts and humanities.
2. Maharashtra Govt presents Mother Teresa Memorial Award to Dia Mirza and Afroz Shah
Tags: Awards
Ms. Dia Mirza, National Goodwill Ambassador of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Mr. Afroz Shah, environmental activist, have been honoured with the prestigious Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice 2021.
Important facts
The award was given by the Governor of Maharashtra, Hon'ble Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.
Both have been honoured for their commendable and remarkable achievements in environmental sustainability.
Dia Mirza was honoured as UNEP, India's Goodwill Ambassador for her astonishing and remarkable efforts in major environmental campaigns across India.
Afroz Shah was honoured for his impeccable and original efforts to lead one of the world's largest beach cleanup movements in India, which has inspired people across the globe.
This annual award was instituted by the Harmony Foundation in the year 2005.
Harmony Foundation is an international non-governmental organisation working in the field of social justice.
3. Japan awards Ex-PM Shinzo Abe country's highest order posthumously
Tags: Awards International News
The Japanese government has decided to posthumously honour former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with the 'Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum'.
Important facts
Shinzo Abe was the longest-serving prime minister of Japan.
He is the fourth former prime minister to receive the Supreme Order of Japan under the post-war constitution.
Shinzo Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022, while he was campaigning in the city of Nara.
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, fired two shots at her from a distance of 10 metres.
His condition deteriorated on the way to the hospital due to cardiac and pulmonary arrest. He was later declared dead at Nara Medical University Hospital.
Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
It is the highest order in Japan.
The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan.
Later, on January 4, 1888, the Collar of the Order was added.
Unlike European orders, this order can also be awarded posthumously.
So far, apart from the Imperial family, only 7 Japanese citizens have been given this order.
In 1928 the final order was given to former Prime Minister Sayenji Kinmochi.
4. UK Parliament honours Tanuja Nesari with Ayurveda Ratna award
Tags: Awards International News
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) Director Tanuja Nesri has been conferred with the Ayurveda Ratna Award by the UK Parliament.
The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Science (ITSappg) presented the award in recognition of his contribution to promoting the development of Ayurveda in India and abroad.
The award was presented on the occasion of International Day of Yoga (June 21).
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Science was formed in 2014 with the aim of spreading the knowledge of Ayurveda, Yoga, Astrology, Vastu, Unani and Sangeet to the United Kingdom and abroad.
About All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
Establishment - 2017
Headquarters - New Delhi
5. Karnataka’s Sini Shetty is Femina Miss India World 2022
Tags: Latest Awards Person in news
Sini Shetty from Karnataka was crowned Femina Miss India World 2022 at the grand finale of VLCC Femina Miss India on July 3.
First runner-up
In the ceremony held at the Jio World Convention Centre, Rubal Shekhawat from Rajasthan became the Femina Miss India 2022 first runner-up.
Second runner-up
Shinata Chauhan from Uttar Pradesh was declared Femina Miss India 2022 second runner-up.
Jury panel
Actors Neha Dhupia, Dino Morea and Malaika Arora, designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, choreographer Shiamak Davar and former cricketer Mithali Raj were member of the jury panel.
Sini Shetty
The 21-years old Sini Shetty was born in Mumbai and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance.
At present, she is pursuing a professional course called Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
She is also a trained Bharatnatyam dancer.
Sini Shetty will now present India at the prestigious 71st Miss World pageant.
She was crowned Femina Miss India World 2022 by her predecessor Miss India 2020, Manasa Varanasi from Telangana.
Femina Miss India
Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India that selects representatives to participate in Miss World every year.
It is organized by Femina, a women's magazine published by The Times Group.
Since 2013, Femina has also organized Miss Diva as a separate contest, with its representatives competing in Miss Universe.
In addition to Miss Diva, the organization organizes a contest every two years to select an Indian representative for Mr. World.
The first Miss India was Pramila (Esther Victoria Abraham) of Calcutta, who won in 1947.
6. Ramdarash Mishra received 31st Saraswati Samman 2021
Tags: Awards
Senior Hindi poet and writer Prof. Ramdarash Mishra has been honoured with the 31st Saraswati Samman for the year 2021.
He was given this honour for his poetry collection "Main Toh Yahan Hoon".
This book was published in the year 2015.
Earlier, the 30th Saraswati Samman, 2020 was given to the famous Marathi writer Dr. Sharankumar Limbale for his novel 'Sanatan'.
Ramdarash Mishra is the third litterateur to receive this honour in the Hindi language. Prior to this, Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was conferred this honour in the year 1991 and Govind Mishra in 2013.
Prof. Ramdarash Mishra was born on 15 August 1924 in Dumri village of Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
In a career spanning decades, Mishra has written 32 poetry collections, 15 novels, 30 short-story collections, 15 books of literary criticism, four collections of essays, travelogues and several memoirs.
About Saraswati Samman -
Saraswati Samman was instituted in the year 1991 by the KK Birla Foundation.
This award is given every year to the outstanding literary work of Indian writers published in the last 10 years in any of the Indian languages mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
The award carries a citation, a memento and a prize money of Rs 15 lakh.
The recipient is selected by a selection committee, currently headed by Dr Subhash C Kashyap, former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
The first Saraswati Samman was given to Hindi litterateur Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan for his four-volume autobiography.
7. First 'Kempegowda International Award'
Tags: Awards
Former Karnataka Chief Minister S. M. Krishna, Infosys founder and IT industry veteran N. R. Narayana Murthy, and former badminton player Prakash Padukone have been selected for the 'Kempegowda International Award'.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai presented the awards to the recipients during a grand ceremony on the 513th birth anniversary of Bengaluru city architect Kempegowda.
The award has been instituted by the state government in honour of Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru, earlier this year.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh along with a memento.
The government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Prashant Prakash, head of the start-up vision group, to nominate candidates for the award.
The award will be presented to achievers in different fields
Who was Kempegowda?
Kempegowda was noted as an intelligent and art-loving king during the Vijayanagara Empire.
Kempegowda ruled for about 56 years from 1513 while his father Kempnanje Gowda ruled for 70 years.
He decided to make Bangalore his capital in 1537 and redesigned Bengaluru.
Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport is also named after him.
His 108 feet high statue has been installed at Bangalore airport.
8. Golden Achievement Award 2021
Tags: Awards
Vijay Amritraj of India has been honoured with the Golden Achievement Award for 2021.
The award is presented annually by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation.
The award is given to a person in tennis who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of tennis in the field of administration, promotion and education at the international level and has rendered long and outstanding service to the sport.
The award was given at a special ceremony in London in the honour of Amritraj.
Amritraj is known among the important players of tennis in the world.
Amritraj was an Indian player who converted professional tennis into the ATP Tour.
9. Odisha's public transport service, 'Mo Bus', gets prestigious United Nations Public Service Award
Tags: Awards
The Capital Region Urban Transport Authority of Odisha launched the 'Mo Bus Service' in November 2018 to promote smart technologies and promote safe transport for women riders.
Which has recently been awarded the United Nations Public Service Award for 2022.
'Mo Bus' has been awarded the prestigious United Nations Prize for its role and efforts in helping the world recover from COVID-19.
'Mo Bus' incorporates "real-time technologies such as live tracking, travel planner and e-ticketing".
Ten initiatives from Brazil, Canada, India, Ireland, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Ukraine recognized for their innovative public service delivery by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs with the prestigious United Nations Public Service Awards has been given.
About Odisha State -
The modern state of Odisha was established as a state of India on 1 April 1936 at the Kanika Palace in Cuttack.
April 1 is celebrated as Utkal Divas (Odisha Day) in the state.
Hirakud Dam, located near Sambalpur in Odisha, is the longest earthen dam in the world.
Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar are the most popular tourist destinations in the state which is called the Golden Triangle of Eastern India.
Odisha is ahead of all the states of India in the production of Chromite, Manganese Ore and Dolomite.
Capital- Bhubaneshwar
Governor- Ganeshi Lal
Chief Minister- Naveen Patnaik
Legislative Assembly seats- 147
Rajya Sabha Seats- 10
Lok Sabha seats - 20
10. National Logistics Excellence Awards 2022
Tags: Awards
The Government of India hosted the first National Logistics Excellence Awards in New Delhi in which Adani Logistics Limited was awarded in the category “Best Rail Freight Service Provider”.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal presented the awards in 12 categories.
With an aim to focus on the logistics sector, the Government of India had announced the launch of National Logistics Excellence Awards in the year 2021.
The awards focused on best practices including process standardisation, technology improvement, digital transformation and sustainable processes.
Indian Logistics Sector
The Indian logistics sector is growing at a CAGR of 10.5 per cent to reach around $215 billion in the year 2020.
The overall cost of logistics accounts for about 14 percent of India's GDP, which is much higher than the global average of 8 per cent.
List of winners of National Logistics Excellence Awards 2022 -
Best Cargo Airline & Terminal Operator | FedEx Express Transportation & Supply Chain Services (India) Pvt. Ltd. |
Best Road Freight Service Provider | DHL Supply Chain India Pvt. Ltd |
Best Rail Freight Service Provider | Adani Logistics Limited |
Best Shipping & NVOCC Service | Maersk India Pvt. ltd |
Best Port Service Provider | DP World |
Best Warehouse Service Provider | Transport Corporation of India Limited |
Best Cold Chain/Refrigerator Service Provider | Transport Corporation of India Limited |
Best Express Logistics Service Provider | SafeExpress Pvt Ltd |
Best Logistics Infrastructure & Service Provider | Adani Logistics Ltd |
Best Freight Forwarders | Kuehne + Nagel Pvt. Ltd. |
Best Custom House Agent / Custom Broker | International Clearing & Shipping Agency (India) Pvt. Ltd. |
Industry Excellence Award | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd |