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| Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust and Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises addressing virtual function of ‘Sat Paul Mittal National Awards Ceremony’ 2021 |
Ludhiana, November 09, 2021 (News Team): Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, founded in 1983 by Late Shri Sat Paul Mittal to propagate the ideologies of India’s first Prime Minister Late Shri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, today conferred the Sat Paul Mittal National Awards for 2021 in a ceremony held virtually. The awards were presented by the Guest of Honor, Dr. Kiran Bedi. Also, present was Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust and Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises.
The winners were presented with a total cash prize of Rs. 12 lakhs and were felicitated with citations for the Sat Paul Mittal National Awards and the Sat Paul Mittal Appreciation Awards for the year 2021 in Individual and Institutional categories.
The Sat Paul Mittal National Award 2021 in the ‘Individual’ category was jointly received by Ms. Chandrakali Markam and Mr. Karimul Haque.
Ms. Chandrakali Markam was born in a poor Adivasi family and was married at a tender age of 11. With her strong conviction she pulled her family out of poverty through her small Self Help Group (SHG) savings. Driven by courage and an entrepreneurial mindset, she grew the turnover of her SHG’s federation to thousands of crores and encouraged women from landless families to think of businesses like mushroom cultivation & promote village ventures.
Mr. Karimul Haque used a setback of losing his mother due to lack of ambulance facility, as a vow to not let anyone in his village suffer due to lack of ambulance facility. Popularly known as Bike-Ambulance-dada, since 1998 he has provided ambulance facility to over 20 villages and has ferried thousands of patients in and around Dhalabri, free of cost. He periodically conducts health camps and frequently organizes basic first aid training by the local doctors for his for villagers. He is also recipient of Padma Shri.
The Sat Paul Mittal National Award 2021 in the ‘Institutional’ category the award was conferred to Gram Vikas.
Gram Vikas was established as an NGO in 1979 with a mission to enable rural communities lead a dignified life. It is working towards building capabilities of village communities, strengthening community institutions and mobilizing resources with an aim to make communities self-sufficient. Its key focus areas include water, livelihoods, sanitation & hygiene, habitat & technologies, village institutions and education. Simultaneously, it is also making efforts to free the tribals from the clutches of liquor merchants and exploitative moneylenders by promoting literacy through non-formal education and adult literacy centres.
The Sat Paul Mittal Appreciation Award 2021 in the ‘Individual’ category was conferred on Dr. Yoga Sreelesh Nambiar.
Dr. Yoga Sreelesh Nambiar is India's First Trans person with a PhD in Mental Health, Classical Dancer, Social Reformer and an Orator. Looking at the discrimination her community had to undergo, she vowed to work for welfare of her community and create an environment of respect and dignity In the last 20 years, she has worked tirelessly to advocate for the rights and dignity of the transgender community in India and has also moved beyond the transgender community to support HIV positive sex workers, women and children.
The Sat Paul Mittal Appreciation Awards 2021 in the ‘Institutional’ category was conferred on LEPRA Society.
LEPRA Society is a non-governmental organisation that promotes quality health care, initiates and fosters new developments and implementation. With operations across 10 states, its key focus areas include leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) and also works with TB, HIV/AIDS, Eye Care and COVID 19 Services. Since 1989, it has played a key role in improving the healthcare activities for the marginalized sections of society. LEPRA Society is also serving as an important link between the government and the marginalized communities to support the needy get the benefits of various government schemes. It is a testimony of their sincerity and hard work that LEPRA Society has been asked by the government to conduct training of trainers.
Congratulating the winners, Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, said, “At Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, it is our endeavor to support disadvantaged sections of society with a special focus on education. I congratulate all the winners and applicants for their tremendous work and hope that they inspire others to diligently work towards upliftment of weaker sections of society. The transformational work done by these individual and organisations will go a long way in promoting inclusive growth in communities across the country.”
Mr. Mittal also added, “Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust will continue its efforts to create a strong foundation of education for students so that they get better opportunities for career growth and contribute meaningfully to society.”
The ‘Sat Paul Mittal National Award’ and ‘Sat Paul Mittal Appreciation Award’ are given annually for outstanding service to humanity. Every year Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust invites nominations for honouring individuals and institutions working in areas including but not limited to health, education, environment, food, shelter, poverty alleviation, art, culture, child rights, welfare of the differently abled and women empowerment.
Prominent past recipients of the awards include Dr. E. Sreedharan, Dr. S.S. Badrinath, Ms. Ela R. Bhatt, Late Mr. Sunil Dutt, Mr. Anna Hazare, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, SOS Children's Villages & Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Navjyoti Delhi Police Foundation for Correction De-addiction & Rehabilitation among others.