CURRENT AFFAIRS AWARDS JANUARY, 2020

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CURRENT AFFAIRS – AWARDS – JANUARY, 2020

‘Padma Awads’ – one of the highest civilian awards of the country, are conferred in three categories,

namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The awards are given in various

disciplines/fields of activities, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and

industry, medicine literature and education, sports, civil service etc.

‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.

‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order.

‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.

The Government of India has announced 141 Padma Awards for the year 2020 on the occasion of

71st Republic Day.

The Padma Awards list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri.

34 awardees are women and 18 foreigners. 12 persons are awarded posthumously.

Here is the complete list:

PADMA VIBHUSHAN

Sl.

No. Name Field State/Country

1. George Fernandes (Posthumous) Public Affairs Bihar

2. Arun Jaitley (Posthumous) Public Affairs Delhi

3. Sir Anerood Jugnauth Public Affairs Mauritius

4. M. C. Mary Kom Sports Manipur

5. Chhannulal Mishra Art Uttar Pradesh

6. Sushma Swaraj (Posthumous) Public Affairs Delhi

7.

Sri Vishveshateertha Swamiji

Sri Pejavara Adhokhaja Matha Udupi

(Posthumous)

Others-Spiritualism Karnataka

PADMA BHUSHAN

Sl.


8. M. Mumtaz Ali Others-Spiritualism Kerala

9. Syed Muazzem Ali (Posthumous) Public Affairs Bangladesh

10. Muzaffar Hussain Baig Public Affairs J &K

11. Ajoy Chakravorty Art West Bengal

12. Manoj Das Literature and Education Puducherry

13. Balkrishna Doshi Others-Architecture Gujarat

14. Krishnammal Jagannathan Social Work Tamil Nadu

15. S. C. Jamir Public Affairs Nagaland


16. Anil Prakash Joshi Social Work Uttarakhand

17. Dr.Tsering Landol Medicine Ladakh

18. Anand Mahindra Trade and Industry Maharashtra

19. Neelakanta Ramakrishna

Madhava Menon (Posthumous) Public Affairs Kerala

20. Manohar Gopalkrishna

Prabhu Parrikar (Posthumous) Public Affairs Goa

21. Prof. Jagdish Sheth Literature and Education USA

22. P. V. Sindhu Sports Telangana

23. Venu Srinivasan Trade and Industry Tamil Nadu

PADMA SHRI

Sl.


24. Guru Shashadhar Acharya Art Jharkhand

25. Dr. Yogi Aeron Medicine Uttarakhand

26. Jai Prakash Agarwal Trade and Industry Delhi

27. Jagdish Lal Ahuja Social Work Punjab

28. Kazi Masum Akhtar Literature and Education West Bengal

29. Ms. Gloria Arieira Literature and Education Brazil

30. Khan Zaheerkhan Bakhtiyarkhan Sports Maharashtra

31. Dr. Padmavathy Bandopadhyay Medicine Uttar Pradesh

32. Dr. Sushovan Banerjee Medicine West Bengal

33. Dr. Digambar Behera Medicine Chandigarh

34. Dr. Damayanti Beshra Literature and Education Odisha

35. Pawar Popatrao Bhaguji Social Work Maharashtra

36. Himmata Ram Bhambhu Social Work Rajasthan

37. Sanjeev Bikhchandani Trade and Industry Uttar Pradesh

38. Gafurbhai M. Bilakhia Trade and Industry Gujarat

39. Bob Blackman Public Affairs United Kingdom

40. Indira P. P. Bora Art Assam

41. Madan Singh Chauhan Art Chhattisgarh

42. Usha Chaumar Social Work Rajasthan

43. Lil Bahadur Chettri Literature and Education Assam


44. Lalitha & Ms. Saroja

Chidambaram (Duo)* Art Tamil Nadu

45. Dr. Vajira Chitrasena Art Sri Lanka

46. Dr. Purushottam Dadheech Art Madhya Pradesh

47. Utsav Charan Das Art Odisha

48. Prof. Indra Dassanayake

(Posthumous) Literature and Education Sri Lanka

49. H. M. Desai Literature and Education Gujarat

50. Manohar Devadoss Art Tamil Nadu

51. Oinam Bembem Devi Sports Manipur

52. Lia Diskin Social Work Brazil

53. M. P. Ganesh Sports Karnataka

54. Dr. Bangalore Gangadhar Medicine Karnataka

55. Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar Science and Engineering Maharashtra

56. Barry Gardiner Public Affairs United Kingdom

57. Chewang Motup Goba Trade and Industry Ladakh

58. Bharat Goenka Trade and Industry Karnataka

59. Yadla Gopalarao Art Andhra Pradesh

60. Mitrabhanu Gountia Art Odisha

61. Tulasi Gowda Social Work Karnataka

62. Sujoy K. Guha Science and Engineering Bihar

63. Harekala Hajabba Social Work Karnataka

64. Enamul Haque Others-Archaeology Bangladesh

65. Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh Art Jharkhand

66. Abdul Jabbar (Posthumous) Social Work Madhya Pradesh

67. Bimal Kumar Jain Social Work Bihar

68. Meenakshi Jain Literature and Education Delhi

69. Nemnath Jain Trade and Industry Madhya Pradesh

70. Shanti Jain Art Bihar

71. Sudhir Jain Science and Engineering Gujarat

72. Benichandra Jamatia Literature and Education Tripura

73. K. V. Sampath Kumar &

Ms. Vidushi Jayalakshmi K.S. (Duo)* Literature and Education-Journalism Karnataka

74. Karan Johar Art Maharashtra

75. Dr. Leela Joshi Medicine Madhya Pradesh


76. Sarita Joshi Art Maharashtra

77. C. Kamlova Literature and Education Mizoram

78. Dr. Ravi Kannan R. Medicine Assam

79. Ekta Kapoor Art Maharashtra

80. Yazdi Naoshirwan Karanjia Art Gujarat

81. Narayan J. Joshi Karayal Literature and Education Gujarat

82. Dr. Narindar Nath Khanna Medicine Uttar Pradesh

83. Naveen Khanna Science and Engineering Delhi

84. S. P. Kothari Literature and Education USA

85. V. K. Munusamy Krishnapakthar Art Puducherry

86. M. K. Kunjol Social Work Kerala

87. Manmohan Mahapatra

(Posthumous) Art Odisha

88. Ustad Anwar Khan Mangniyar Art Rajasthan

89. Kattungal Subramaniam Manilal Science and Engineering Kerala

90. Munna Master Art Rajasthan

91. Prof. Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra Literature and Education Himachal Pradesh

92. Binapani Mohanty Literature and Education Odisha

93. Dr. Arunoday Mondal Medicine West Bengal

94. Dr. Prithwindra Mukherjee Literature and Education France

95. Sathyanarayan Mundayoor Social Work Arunachal Pradesh

96. Manilal Nag Art West Bengal

97. N. Chandrasekharan Nair Literature and Education Kerala

98. Dr. Tetsu Nakamura (Posthumous) Social Work Afghanistan

99. Shiv Datt Nirmohi Literature and Education J & K

100. Pu Lalbiakthanga Pachuau Literature and Education-Journalism Mizoram

101. Moozhikkal Pankajakshi Art Kerala

102. Dr. Prasanta Kumar Pattanaik Literature and Education USA

103. Jogendra Nath Phukan Literature and Education Assam

104. Rahibai Soma Popere Others-Agriculture Maharashtra

105. Yogesh Praveen Literature and Education Uttar Pradesh

106. Jitu Rai Sports Uttar Pradesh

107. Tarundeep Rai Sports Sikkim

108. S. Ramakrishnan Social Work Tamil Nadu

109. Rani Rampal Sports Haryana


110. Kangana Ranaut Art Maharashtra

111. Dalavai Chalapathi Rao Art Andhra Pradesh

112. Shahbuddin Rathod Literature and Education Gujarat

113. Kalyan Singh Rawat Social Work Uttarakhand

114. Chintala Venkat Reddy Others-Agriculture Telangana

115. Dr. Shanti Roy Medicine Bihar

116. Radhammohan &

Ms.Sabarmatee (Duo)* Others-Agriculture Odisha

117. Batakrushna Sahoo Others-Animal Husbandry Odisha

118. Trinity Saioo Others-Agriculture Meghalaya

119. Adnan Sami Art Maharashtra

120. Vijay Sankeshwar Trade and Industry Karnataka

121. Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma Medicine Assam

122. Sayed Mehboob Shah Qadri

alias Sayedbhai Social Work Maharashtra

123. Mohammed Sharif Social Work Uttar Pradesh

124. Shyam Sunder Sharma Art Bihar

125. Dr. Gurdip Singh Medicine Gujarat

126. Ramjee Singh Social Work Bihar

127. Vashishtha Narayan Singh (Posthumous) Science and Engineering Bihar

128. Daya Prakash Sinha Art Uttar Pradesh

129. Dr. Sandra Desa Souza Medicine Maharashtra

130. Vijayasarathi Sribhashyam Literature and Education Telangana

131. Kalee Shabi Mahaboob & Sheik Mahaboob

Subani (Duo)* Art Tamil Nadu

132. Javed Ahmad Tak Social Work J & K

133. Pradeep Thalappil Science and Engineering Tamil Nadu

134. Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi Literature and Education Arunachal Pradesh

135. Robert Thurman Literature and Education USA

136. Agus Indra Udayana Social Work Indonesia

137. Harish Chandra Verma Science and Engineering Uttar Pradesh

138. Sundaram Verma Social Work Rajasthan

139. Dr. Romesh Tekchand Wadhwani Trade and Industry USA

140. Suresh Wadkar Art Maharashtra

141. Prem Watsa Trade and Industry Canada


Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2019 for 54 persons: President Ram Nath Kovind has

approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2019 on 54 persons.

This includes Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to seven, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to eight and

Jeevan Raksha Padak to thirty-nine persons. Five awards are posthumous. Jeevan Raksha Padak

series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in saving the life of a

person.

The award is given in three categories – Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha

Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak. Persons of all walks of life are eligible for these awards. The award

can also be conferred posthumously.

The decoration of the award is presented to the awardees by the Ministry, organizations or state

government to which the awardees belong.

Two Bangladeshis get Padma Awards. Bangladeshi Career Diplomat late Syed Muazzem Ali and

veteran museologist Enamul Haq have been nominated for the Padma Awards by the Government

of India this year.

Syed Muazzem Ali has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan award posthumously. He was

the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India and passed away on 30 December, 2019 after

completing his 5-year long tenure from 2014 in India.

Syed Muazzem Ali rebelled against the Pakistani government and declared his allegiance to

Bangladesh in 1971, while serving in the Pakistan Embassy there. He also served as the Foreign

Secretary of Bangladesh.

Renowned academic and Museologist from Bangladesh Enamul Haq has been nominated for the

Padma Shri award. Born in 1936, Eanmul Haq has taught at many universities including Dhaka

University, Jahangirnagar University, and BRAC University. Haque was the founder Director

General of the Bangladesh National Museum.

Iranian Film ‘Castle of Dreams’ gets Best Film Award at Dhaka International Film Festival

The Iranian film ‘Castle of Dreams’ directed by Reza Mirakarimi won the Best Film Award in

Asian Competition section of the 18th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) which concluded

on 19th January, 2020. The film also won the Best Director Award.

Information Minister of Bangladesh Hasan Mahmud gave away the award carrying prize money of

Tk 1 lakh, a citation and crest in the closing ceremony held in Dhaka.

In the Asian Competition segment, Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage’s film ‘Children of

the Sun’ won Special Jury Award.


Best Actress Award went to Arezoo Ariapoor, Ferestha Afshar and Hasiba Ebrahimi for their

acting in Afghanistan-Iran-France joint venture film ‘Hava, Maryamk, Ayesha’ while the Best

Actor Award went to Lousie Abuel for his acting in the film ‘Edward’.

In Bangladesh Panorama Section, ‘No Dorai’ directed by Taneem Rahman Angshu bagged the

Best Film Award.

Indian film ‘Finally Love’ directed by Anjan Dutt bagged Best Audience Award in Cinema of the

World Category.

A total of 220 films from 74 countries were shown during the nine-day long festival which began on

11th January, 2020.

The Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is being organized by the Rainbow Film Festival

since 1992 with support from Bangladesh government and many other organizations including

the High Commission of India, Dhaka.

The theme of this year’s festival was ‘better film, better audience, better society’.

President Kovind confers Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awards to children.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2020 at

Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Bal Puraskar is given by government every year to recognize exceptional

achievements of children in various fields.

These fields are innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts and culture, sports and

bravery. Twenty-two children who were selected for National Bravery Awards also received the

awards from the President of India.

Deepika Padukone feted with Crystal Award at WEF

Deepika Padukone received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The 'Chhapaak' actress was recognized for her efforts to create awareness about the importance of

mental health.

Deepika Padukone, who has opened up about her battle with the illness and also runs the Live Love

Laugh Foundation, said that people must understand depression and anxiety are like any other

illness and can be treated.

Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi received the 29th Saraswati Samman: Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi has

been conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman for his short stories collection 'Chequebook'.

The short stories collection talks about the agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the

society.

Vasdev Mohi: Vasdev Mohi was born in 1944 in Mirpur Khas. Mohi's repertoire includes 25 books

of poetry, critical pieces, translated works, and short stories. His critical essays and papers have

appeared in national and international literary seminars.


He has also received several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, Gangadhar Mehar

National Award, Sindhi Sahitya Academy Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award of Sindhi

Academy. He has authored 25 books of poetry, stories, and translations.

Saraswati Samman is given annually by the KK Birla Foundation. It carries a cash award of Rs.15

lakh rupees, a citation, and a plaque.

Sucheta Satish won Global Child Prodigy Award 2020: A Dubai-based Indian girl Sucheta Satish,

who can sing in 120 languages, has won the 'Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020'.

Sucheta Satish, known as the Dubai Indian High School's nightingale, won in the singing category.

The Global Child Prodigy Award is a platform to celebrate children's talent and power in different

categories. The award ceremony was held in New Delhi on 3rd January, 2020.

DMRC awards first civil contract for Tughlakabad-Aerocity corridor: The Delhi Metro Rail

Corporation (DMRC) awarded the first civil contract for the Tughlakabad-Aerocity corridor of its

Phase 4 project.

This contract involves the construction of Metro viaduct from Sangam Vihar to Saket - G including

four elevated Metro stations.

On 8th March, 2019, the Union Cabinet had approved three out of the six proposed corridors of Delhi

Metro's Phase 4 project

Golden Globes Awards 2020: The 77th Annual Golden Globes Awards were held on 5 Jan 2020 in

Beverly Hills, California. Best motion picture — Drama was won by '1917'.

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture--Drama was won by Renee Zellweger for "Judy".

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture-Drama was won by Joaquin Phoenix for "Joker".

Best Director was won by Sam Mendes for '1917'.

Innovation Awards Presentation Ceremony: Innovation Awards Presentation Ceremony was held

on the 8th of January 2020.

These awards were conferred at the 12th edition of Global Intellectual Property Convention in New

Delhi.

Prof. MS Swaminathan & Dr. G Muniratnam chosen for Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu

National Awards: Dr.Swaminathan chosen for his contribution to agriculture & Dr Muniratnam for

social service. Awards meant to inspire others to emulate the awardees – Vice President attends the

Sankranti Celebrations organized by Swarna Bharat Trust. Each award carries a cash prize of

Rupees Five Lakh and citation.

Amitabh Bachchan honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan

was presented the Dadasaheb Phalke award by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan.


The award, named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke who is revered as the father of Indian cinema,

was instituted in 1969. Amitabh Bachhan made his debut in Hindi film industry in the same year

with "Saat Hindustani".

Considered the highest honour for an artiste in Indian cinema, the award comprises a Swarna Kamal

medallion, a shawl, and cash prize of 10 lakh rupees.

It was conferred upon late actor Vinod Khanna in 2017.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Anjum Chopra to receive CK Nayudu Lifetime Award 2019:

Former India captain and member of the 1983 World Cup - winning team Krishnamachari Srikkanth

was the recipient of prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Award 2019 given by the BCCI.

Former India women’s captain Anjum Chopra is the co-recipient of the lifetime achievement award

for the year 2019.

The BCCI Annual Award function was held in Mumbai on January 12, 2020.

Swarna Jayanti Fellowships have been awarded to 14 Scientists associated with projects containing

innovative research idea and with the potential of making an impact on R&D in the respective

disciplines.

The Swarna Jayanti Fellowships scheme was instituted by Government of India to commemorate

India's fifteenth year of independence.

Krishi Karman Awards: PM Narendra Modi distributed Krishi Karman Awards and

Commendation Awards to states at a public meeting in Tumkur, Karnataka on 2 Jan 2020.

He also gave away Agriculture Minister’s Krishi Karman Awards for Progressive Farmers.

The event also witnessed the release of the 3rd installment of PM Kisan (Pradhan Mantri Kisan

Samman Nidhi) of Rs 2000 for the period December 2019-March 2020.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS – AWARDS – FEBRUARY, 2020

Adline Castelino was crowned 2020 LIVA Miss Diva Universe: Adline Castelino won the

LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020 title. She was crowned by Vartika Singh, Miss Diva Universe

2019, at an event held in Mumbai. The event was held on 22nd February, 2020. Castelino was

followed by Aavriti Choudhary of Jabalpur. Arvriti Choudhary was bestowed with the title of

Miss Diva Supranational by her predecessor Shefali Sood.

The jury included 2000 Miss Universe and Mentor Lara Dutta, Miss Supranational 2019 Anntonia

Porsild, Designers Shivan & Narresh, Nikhil Mehra and Gavin Miguel, Yami Gautam and veteran

actor Anil Kapoor.

AdlineCastelino is from Mangalore. She will represent the country at Miss Universe 2020.

AavritiChoudhary is from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She graduated with a degree in business

administration from Prestige Institute of Management And Research in Indore. She will represent

India at Miss Supranational 2020.

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank conferred the 2019 Vishwakarma Awards

Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' presents

Vishwakarma Awards 2019 to the winners in New Delhi.

It was organized in the All India Council for Technical Training.

23 groups were awarded the Chatra Vishwakarma Awards (CVA).

Six institutes were awarded the Utkrisht Santhan Vishwakarma Award (USVA).

The award recognizes college students who have good potential and are an asset to the nation. He

appreciated NITI Aayog and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) to support college

students by bringing their concepts into actuality.

Vishwakarma Awards: Vishwakarma Awards was instituted by the All India Council for

Technical Education (AICTE) since 2017. The awards were instituted for the growth of society

by means of the stakeholders of its accepted institutes. The Awards are aimed to motivate younger

people and inspire leaders and organizations.

Class-I: Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards (CVA) is conferred for Excellent Progressive Staff (for

College students & Mentor).

Class-II: Utkrisht Sansthan Vishwakarma Award (USVA) is conferred for exemplary

Institutional intervention.

The award will boost the efficiency of their particular domains resulting in vital contributions in

the direction of the expansion and growth of the Nation as an entire. The winners were chosen

based on the theme "Methods to improve the revenue of Village". Indian Society of Technical

Training (ISTE) and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog agreed to collaborate with

AICTE for the Vishwakarma Awards 2019.

Hrithik Roshan was conferred with Best Actor Award at Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival

for his film Super 30 at the 10th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2020, Delhi NCR, India.

In Super 30, Hrithik enacted the role of a Math teacher named Anand Kumar who lives in Bihar.

Anand gives free education to the unprivileged students to help them ace the IIT-JEE exams in the

movie.


Full list of winners:

o Best Film - Super 30

o Best Actor – Hrithik Roshan

o Most Promising Actor – Kiccha Sudeep

o Best Actor in Television Series – Dheeraj Dhoopar

o Best Actress in Television – Divyanka Tripathi

o Most Favourite Television Actor – Harshad Chopda

o Most Favourite Jodi in Television Series – Sriti Jha and Shabbir Ahluwalia

(KumkumBhagya)

o Best Reality Show - Bigg Boss 13

o Best Television Series – Kumkum Bhagya

o Best Playback Singer Male - Armaan Malik

Khanderao, Vasudev Kamath were conferred with the Raja Ravi Varma Award: The Raja

Ravi Varma State Award for the year 2019 was conferred on a veteran painter from Kalaburagi

Prof. J.S. Khanderao, and senior artist from Mumbai, Vasudev Kamath for the year 2020 at a

programme organized in the institute premises located on Narasaraja Road in Chamundipuram,

Mysore, Karnataka.

Prof. J.S. Khanderao was awarded for his art that defines the history of human culture as the art is

a form of human expression. The painting dates back to the ages of primitive times. The art form

has undergone rapid transformations over centuries.

Vasudev Kamath was awarded for his more expressive form of art.

Raja Ravi Varma State Award: Raja Ravi Varma State Award was instituted by Karnataka's

Shri Ravi varma Art Institute. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.10,000 and a citation.

Jadav Payeng to be conferred the 2020 Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award

Padma Shri Jadav Payeng was conferred with the Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award on 29

February in New Delhi at a function instituted by My Home India.

He was awarded the 6th Karmayogi Award for his consistent efforts in creating a real man-made

forest through massive reforestation.

The award is composed of a trophy, a recitation and a reward of Rs 1 lakh.

Jadav Payeng is famously known as the Forest Man of India. Padma Shri Jadav Payeng is an

environmental activist and forest worker from Jorhat. In the past several years, he has planted and

tended trees on a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra turning it into a forest reserve.

Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award: Swami Vivekananda Smriti Karmayogi Award is

organized by My Home India in New Delhi. The award was conferred for the first time in

2013. Karmayogi Award is presented to great personalities from North-Eastern India who

dedicate their lives to Nation and promote Nationalism through art & culture, sports, education,

etc. for their contribution to respective fields.


Oscars 2020 Complete Winners List: The 92nd Academy Awards took place on February 9,

2020, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Oscars 2020 winners:

Best picture -Parasite

Best actress -Renée Zellweger, Judy

Best actor -Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

Best director -Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

Music (original song)-"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman

Music (original score)-Joker

Visual effects-1917

Best film editing-Ford v Ferrari

Best cinematography -Roger Deakins, 1917

Best sound mixing-1917

Best sound editing-Ford v Ferrari

Best supporting actress-Laura Dern, Marriage Story

Documentary short feature -Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a

Girl)

Documentary feature-American Factory

Best costume design-Jacqueline Durran, Little Women

Best production design -Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Live-action short film-The Neighbors' Window

Best adapted screenplay-Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit

Best original screenplay-Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

Animated short film -Hair Love

Animated feature film-Toy Story 4

Best supporting actor-Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Indian scholar Gita Sen wins prestigious Dan David Prize India’s pioneering feminist scholar and

activist Gita Sen, has won the prestigious Dan David Prize for her expansive work in the fields of

population policies, reproductive and sexual health, women’s rights, poverty, labour markets and

global governance.

Ms.Sen, who is the Director of the Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of

Health at the Public Health Foundation of India, has combined her 35 years of academic career with

policy advocacy and activism, helping to shape the global paradigm shift on population and

development.

Madhya Pradesh bags first position for implementation of PMMVY

Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first position for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru

Vandana Yojana. Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani will present this

award to Madhya Pradesh at a function in New Delhi.

Indore district has also bagged the first place for better performance of the scheme.


The main objective of the Matru Vandana Yojana is to provide incentives of five thousand rupees for

the loss of wages of working women and to ensure their proper rest and nutrition during pregnancy.

The payment of the incentive amount is deposited directly into the bank account.

In Madhya Pradesh, more than 14 lakh 55 thousand beneficiaries have been registered under the

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. The first installment has been paid to about 13 lakh 40

thousand women, while second installment to around 12 lakh and third installment has been paid to 8

lakh 80 thousand beneficiaries.

Vinod Shukla bags first Mathrubhumi Book of the Year Award: Noted Hindi poet-novelist and

Sahitya Akademi honoree Vinod Kumar Shukla has bagged the inaugural Mathrubhumi Book of the

Year award for his translated book “Blue Is Like Blue”.

The award was presented at the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters 2020.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das bags ‘Central Banker of the Year 2020, Asia-Pacific’ award

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has been named the Central Banker of the

Year, Asia-Pacific 2020, and Conferred by the London-based “The Banker” magazine, the award

recognizes Shaktikanta Das’ efforts to make the banking system more robust.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS – AWARDS – MARCH, 2020

Paramananda Majumder was conferred with the Moghai Ojah award: Eminent researcher and

writer Dr.Paramananda Majumder was presented with the 10th Moghai Ojah Award at a function

held at the auditorium of Jorhat Science Centre and Planetarium on 15th March, 2020.

He was awarded for his significant role in raising issues of public interest and society's

betterment.

Majumder compiled the first book on the life and works of folk musician Moghai Ojah.

The award recognized his invaluable contribution in bringing dhol maestro Moghai Ojah and his

magnificent skill of playing the dhol back to the public domain by compiling a book on him.

Moghai Ojah award: The Moghai Ojah award was instituted in 2011 by the Jorhat district unit of

the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP).

The award is annually presented on 15 March, on the death anniversary of Ojah.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs.21,000, a citation, a gamosa, a seleng chadar, and a memento.

Prachi Salve, Pradeep Dwivedi won 2019 Road Safety Media Fellowship award: Prachi Salve of India Spend and Pradeep Dwivedi of Dainik Jagran jointly won the top prize in the

Road Safety Media Fellowship 2019.

The award recognized their contribution towards reporting on road safety by the Centre for Media

Studies (CMS). The awardees were selected by a three-member jury.

Other awardees: Journalist B.Raveendra Shetty of Vijay Karnataka and Purnima Singh of Times

Now Hindi shared the second prize.

The third prize was jointly won by Kishor Dwivedi, Press Trust of India (PTI), and Sangamesh

Menasinakai, The Times of India.

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred 2019 Nari Shakti Puraskar: President Ram Nath Kovind presented Nari Shakti Puraskar or Woman Power Award for the year

2019 on International Women's Day, which is March 8, at a special ceremony held in Rashtrapati

Bhavan, New Delhi.

15 eminent women were awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2019. The award recognized the

significant efforts of the women who rendered distinguished services towards the emancipation of

women, especially vulnerable and marginalized women.

The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2019 are from various areas, including

agriculture, sports, handicrafts, afforestation and wildlife conservation, Armed Forces, and education.

The awardees are Padala Bhudevi, Bina Devi, Arifa Jan, Chami Murmu, Nilza Wangmo, Rashmi

Urdhwareshe, Sardarni Mann Kaur, Kalavati Devi, Tashi, and Nungshi Malik, Kaushiki Chakroborty,

Bhageerathi Amma, Karthyayini Amma, Avani Chaturvedi, BhawnaKanth, Mohana Singh.


Nari Shakti Puraskar was initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The award

acknowledges the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions. The award was first

conferred in 1999. The Nari Shakti Puraskar award carries a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a citation.

It celebrates women as game changers and catalyst of positive change in the society. These

outstanding women have contributed towards safeguarding women's rights along with pushing the

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It recognizes women as equal partners in

the advancement of society.

Women Transforming India Awards (WTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conferred the Fourth

Edition of the Women Transforming India Awards (WTI) on 8th March 2020, the International

Women's Day.

The award ceremony was organized by NITI Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform. The awards

recognized women from diverse fields, including healthcare, education, and food tech, amongst other

fields.

Women Transforming India (WTI) recognized 30 finalists, and 15 winners were awarded. The

winners of the award are:

Dr. PriyankaMokshmar, Co-founder of Vaayu Home Appliance

RamyaVenkataraman, Founder of Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA)

Shilpi Kapoor, Founder of Barrier Break

Rinka Banerjee, Founder of Thinking Forks

Nidhi Pant, who combats the issue around waste and farmer living standard through her Science for

Society team

Anupriya Balikai, Founder of Spook fish Innovations

Kalpana Sankar, Founder of Hand in Hand

Khushboo Jain, Founder of Impact Guru

Sneha Sundaram, Founder of Kutuki

Jayanti Pradhan, an agro-processor and farmer from Odisha

Jugnu Jain, Founder of CSO

Pratyusha Pareddy, Founder of Nemo Care

Poonam BirKasturi, Founder of Daily Dump

Ruchi Jain, Founder of Taru Naturals

Sujata Sahu, Founder of 17000 ft Foundation

Dr. Praveen Nair, Founder Trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust, was awarded a Special Jury Award.

WTI Awards was initiated in the year 2018. It is awarded under the support of the Women

Entrepreneurship Platform.

The theme for the year is "Women and Entrepreneurship". The Platform identifies inspiring stories

of successful women entrepreneurs.

It processes a review of applications, jury, and super jury rounds with assistance from mentors and

partners of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform.

Women Entrepreneurship Platform: The Women Entrepreneurship Platform was initiated in 2017

and formally launched on 8th March 2018. It brings together stakeholders to transform the

entrepreneurial ecosystem for women.


The Women Entrepreneurship Platform was formulated on three pillars, namely Karma Shakti, Gyan

Shakti, and Iccha Shakti. The Platform provides incubator support, mentorship, funding avenues,

compliance and taxation support, and peer learning.

The program was initiated with 30 partners. Presently, there are over 14,000 registered users in the

Women Entrepreneurship Platform.

PV Sindhu was awarded the 2019 BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year: Top Indian Shuttler PV

Sindhu won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2019. The award ceremony was hosted by

BBC Director-General Tony Hall. Also, Veteran athlete PT Usha was awarded the Lifetime

Achievement Award. She was awarded for her contribution to Indian sports and for inspiring

generations of players.

PV Sindhu: PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win the BWF World Championships in the year

2019. She has secured five world championship medals. She is the first Indian singles badminton

player to win an Olympic silver medal.

She competed with four other strong nominees, namely Mary Kom (Boxing), Vinesh Phogat

(Wrestling), Dutee Chand (Athletics), and Manasi Joshi (Para-badminton).

Rajesh Chaplot honoured with Ugandas Highest Civilian Award Rajesh Chaplot, a distinguished Non-Resident Indian (NRI) businessman was honoured with the

Highest Civilian Award "Golden Jubilee Medal-Civilians" of Uganda.

The award was conferred by the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, in a ceremony in Kampala.

Chaplot was awarded for his excellence in the field of Business and Commerce, Social Service and

for fostering better India-Uganda ties.

Rajesh Chaplot is from Udaipur in Rajasthan. He has also received Pravasi Bharatiya Samman,

which is the highest award for overseas Indians.

It was conferred by President Ramnath Kovind in Varanasi 2019. He received his degree from The

Institute of Charted Accountants of India, New Delhi. Chaplot migrated to Africa in 1996.

He is presently spearheading several companies and business associations in Uganda and Congo in

different roles like Managing Director, CEO, Director, and Board Member.

He also served as the Chairman of the Indian Association of Uganda, Secretary-General of Indian

Business Forum Uganda, and the Board Member, Uganda Manufacturers Association.

President presented awards to 21 winners on National Science Day: President Ram Nath Kovind conferred national awards to 21 winners for science communication and

popularization including women excellence awards for meritorious women scientists on the occasion

of National Science Day.

The awards included Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) Awards,

National Science and Technology Communication Awards, SERB Women Excellence Awards, and

National Award for Young Woman Showing Excellence through Application of Technology for

Societal Benefits.

Three initiatives: On the occasion, President announced three key initiatives for Gender

Advancement and Equality in Academic and Research Institutions.


(1) Vigyan Jyoti: Vigyan Jyoti is an initiative that will create a level-playing field for the meritorious

girls in high school to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in

their higher education.

(2) GATI: The Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) initiative will

develop a comprehensive Charter and a framework for assessing the Gender Equality in STEM.

(3) Online portal for S&T resources for women: An online portal for science and technology

resources for women will provide e-resources related to all women-specific government schemes,

scholarships, fellowships, career counseling with details of subject area experts from various

disciplines in science and technology.

National Science Day: National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28th February in

India to commemorate the discovery of the 'Raman Effect' by the Indian physicist Sir CV

Raman. This year the theme was 'Women in Science'.

Assam CM awarded with 2020 Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Award: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was conferred the Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee award

2020 for Politics on 28th February.

The award was conferred by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Speaker of People's

Majlis of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed at the 6th India Ideas Conclave in Gujarat.

He was awarded for his work in integrating the nation and to take Mukherjee's vision and philosophy

forward.

Syama Prasad Mukherjee: Syama Prasad Mukherjee was born on 6th July 1901. He served as the

youngest ever Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University.

He is the first Minister of Industry and Supply in independent India. In 1946, he demanded the

partition of Bengal to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East

Pakistan.

He co-founded Janata Party (renamed as BJP) in the year 1977-1979. He was arrested by the Jammu

and Kashmir State police for entering the state without a permit. He passed away in jail on 23rd June,

1953.

Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Award: Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee award was instituted by India

Foundation. The award carries a citation, a specially designed trophy and a cheque worth Rs.1 lakh.

Scientists from IIT Delhi, DRDO received National Award

Scientists from Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and IIT-Delhi received

National Award for Young Women Showing Excellence through Application of Technology for

Societal Benefits.

Dr. Shweta Rawat: Dr. Shweta Rawat from Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences

(DIPAS), DRDO, Timarpur, Delhi was awarded for the discovery of female-specific Full Body

Protector. The device aimed to safeguard the Female troops deployed in riot control actions.

The gear has been developed in collaboration with the Rapid Action Force using the ergonomic

design principle based on anthropometric dimensions specific for female troops. It has unique

properties, including anti-stab, anti-puncture, flame retardant and acid resistance. It assures greater

comfort and flexibility to the women forces while deployed in law and order maintenance duties.


Dr. Shalini Gupta: Dr. Shalini Gupta, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of

Technology (IIT), Delhi, was awarded as she led the development of a technology SeptifloTM. It

offers fast and affordable assay for point-of-care diagnosis and treatment of bacterial septicemia.

She is pursuing unconventional approaches to design novel bio-systems for medical diagnosis, drug

delivery, and biomaterials fabrication on a chip through the start-up Nano DX Healthcare Pvt.

President to confer National Lalit Kala Akademi Awards President Ram Nath Kovind is to confer

Lalit Kala Akademi's 61st annual awards to 15 artists on 4th March 2020 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan,

New Delhi.

The award appreciates the extraordinary talents to perform even better in the future.

Jury: The awardees were selected by jury of the eminent artists. The winners of the award are:

Anoop Kumar ManzukhiGopi from Thrissur, Kerala

David Malakar from Kolkata, West Bengal

Devendra Kumar Khare from Vadodara, Gujarat

Dinesh Pandya from Mumbai, Maharashtra

Faruque Ahmed Halder from 24 Parganas in Kolkata, West Bengal

Hari Ram Kumbhawat from Jaipur, Rajasthan

KeshariNandan Prasad from Jaipur, Rajasthan

Mohan Kumar T from Bengaluru, Karnataka

Ratan Krishna Saha from Mumbai, Maharashtra

SagarVasantKamble from Mumbai, Maharashtra

SatwinderKaur from New Delhi

Sunil Thiruvayur from Ernakulam, Kerala

Tejaswi Narayan Sonawane from Solapur, Maharashtra

Yashpal Singh from Delhi

Yashwant Singh from Delhi

The jury selected the winners from among 283 artworks selected by the first tier Jury.

KPIT Sparkle 2020 winners awarded: KPIT announced the winners of KPIT Sparkle 2020 on 4th

March.

The 30 select teams who presented their ideas on transformative solutions in mobility and energy

were awarded.

Army Institute of Technology, Pune, was awarded gold and a cash prize of Rs. 5 Lakhs.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific

Research, Bengaluru jointly won silver awards of Rs.2.5 Lakhs.

KPIT Sparkle 2020: The event was associated with the Department of Science and Technology

(DST) under Ministry of Science and Technology, All India Council for Technical Education

(AICTE), NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), India Design Council, National Institute of

Design, and ONGC Energy Centre as its knowledge partners.

The event showed the necessity of innovation to reach the end destination and pointed out that

innovation could be a technology, a product, a process, but should add value and create something

that is of utility.


KPIT Sparkle 2020 emphasized the role of the Department of Science and Technology to encourage

Science Technology and Innovation.

The event provided an innovative platform that nurtures, mentors, and supports aspiring entrepreneurs

and connects them with incubators in the ecosystem to transform their inventive ideas into viable

products.

The event inspired students from the Science, Technology, Engineering, Management (STEM)

streams to identify and solve real-life problems in sustainability by designing new technology-enabled

solutions.

It encouraged and facilitated students to secure intellectual property for their solutions.

WTI Awards: The 4th Edition of the Women Transforming India Awards (WTI) was awarded on 8th

March 2020, the International Women's Day. The award ceremony is organized by NITI Aayog's

Women Entrepreneurship Platform.

The Women Transforming India Awards 2019 was conferred by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Women Transforming India Awards was initiated since 2018. The awards are under the support

of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform on the theme of "Women and Entrepreneurship." The

Women Entrepreneurship Platform identifies inspiring stories of successful women entrepreneurs.

*** *** ***


CURRENT AFFAIRS – AWARDS – APRIL TO JUNE, 2020

Adam Higginbotham won William E. Colby Award: The award is named for the late CIA director

William E. Colby. In 1999, the Colby Award was established. Previous winners of the award

include Karl Marlantes’ novel Matterhorn and Dexter Filkins’ The Forever War.

The award is given for an excellent book. The book about the history of military or intelligence.

Professor Saurabh Lodha received 2020 Young Career Award in Nano Science and

Technology: Professor Saurabh Lodha from Electrical Engineering, IIT Bombay, received the

Young Career Award in Nano Science & Technology for the year 2020. The award is instituted by

the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

The award recognized his contributions in the development of logic transistor technologies beyond

silicon and nano-electronic devices based on two-dimensional Van der Waals materials.

Highlights: He worked in the area of advanced transistors and has been driven by strong industry

partnerships. He did his research on technological challenges that plague beyond-silicon transistors

which are the workhorse device that fuels over 90% of all electronics.

He has developed new materials and processes to improve the thermal stability and reliability of the

transistor, which is 1-2 nm thin gate dielectric, to lower the resistance of metal contacts to the

transistor. It will achieve higher levels of electrical impurities and keeps leakage currents under

check.

He also plans to leverage the capabilities and expertise in his group for developing power electronic

transistors based on wide band gap semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium oxide. The

transistors can alleviate efficiency and reliability bottlenecks in diverse applications ranging from

high voltage power grids, electric trains, renewable power conversion, and storage to strategic

defense, medical and industrial instrumentation.

Indian-American soil scientist wins 2020 World Food Prize: Indian-American soil scientist Dr. Rattan Lal has won the prestigious 2020 World Food Prize,

which is considered to be equivalent to a Nobel Prize in the field of agriculture. The award

recognized his contribution to increasing the global food supply by helping small farmers improve

the health of the soil. The award also highlights the importance of managing & restoring soil

health.

Dr. Rattan Lal was awarded for his role in developing and mainstreaming a soil-centric

approach to increase food production that restores and conserves natural resources and

mitigates climate change.

Dr. Rattan Lal has a career spanning more than five decades. He has promoted innovative soil-saving

techniques benefiting the livelihoods of more than 500 million small farmers.

His inventions were aimed to improve the food and nutritional security of more than two billion

people and saving hundreds of millions of hectares of natural tropical ecosystems. Lal is a

Distinguished Professor in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)

at The Ohio State University.


World Food Prize: World Food Prize was first awarded in 1987. The award is presented by the

World Food Prize Foundation, with various sponsor companies. The award recognizes

contributions that are made in the various field involved in the world food supply including Animal

Science/Aqua Culture, Food Technology/Food Safety, Nutrition/Health, Plant Science/Seed Science,

Plant Pathology/Crop Protection, Soil Science/Water/Conservation, Policy/Research/Extension,

Infrastructure/Emergency Relief, and Poverty and Hunger Alleviation.

The first awardee of the award is an Indian agricultural scientist Dr. M S Swaminathan, who is the

father of the Green Revolution in India.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw awarded EY World Entrepreneur of the year

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder and Chairperson & Managing Director of Biocon, has been named

EY World Entrepreneur for the year 2020. The award is to recognize her contribution to improving

universal access to affordable life-saving medicine and thus transforming the world.

She became only the third Indian to receive this prestigious award after UdayKotak and Narayana

Murthy. Shaw became only the second woman to receive this award. Olivia Lum of Hyflux Limited

from Singapore is the first person to have won the title in 2011.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Shaw founded Bangalore-based Biocon Limited in 1978. Biocon currently

worth close to Rs.50,000 crore by market-cap and employs more than 11,000 people. The bio-

enzyme company focuses on global health care and the provision of universal access to life-saving

medicine.

In September 2019, Biocon announced that the company would supply Rh-insulin at less than $0.10

per day to low and middle-income countries. The price is less than a third of current RH-insulin

prices.

Biocon supplied more than 2 billion affordable doses of bio similar insulins to patients globally in

the last 15 years.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Biocon is studying the use of its existing novel biologic drug

Itolizumab to treat COVID-19 related health conditions in India.

*** *** ***


CURRENT AFFAIRS – AWARDS – JULY TO SEPTEMBER, 2020

CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2019: NTPC Ltd. has won the CII-ITC Sustainability Award

2019, under Outstanding Accomplishment in Corporate Excellence Category.

Key Points: CII-ITC Sustainability Award instituted by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for

Sustainable Development (CESD) in 2006.

CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and

industry-managed organization, having members from the private as well as public sectors. It also

has links with 288 national and regional sectoral industry bodies.

It works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, industry,

Government and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes.

It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Rationale Behind the Award: Identifying and recognizing exemplary performance in economic,

social and environmental dimensions of Indian business, Promoting role models in Indian industry

and recognizing excellence achieved by businesses in mainstreaming Sustainability with business

practices and imparting knowledge by which the CESD builds capacity in Indian businesses to adopt

sustainability practices.

NTPC Ltd: It is India’s largest power corporation, established in 1975 to accelerate power

development in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

It became a Maharatna company in May 2010. It is under the Ministry of Power.

Recent Initiatives: (1) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program GEM (Girl Empowerment

Mission) to uplift girls from the remote areas of the country.

(2) Contractors’ Labour Information Management System (CLIMS) through which payment to

contract labourers is paid on the last day of the month at project sites.

Hockey Player Ashok Kumar, honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award of Mohun Bagan

Football Club: On 13th July 2020, the 70 years old Legendary Hockey Player Ashok Kumar, key

player of the 1975 World Cup winning Indian Hockey team was honoured with the Lifetime

Achievement Award by the Kolkata based football club – Mohun Bagan Athletic Club on its

foundation day over the virtual ceremony.

Mohun Bagan Day: Every year 29th July is celebrated as the Mohun Bagan Day commemorating

their victory against East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 in 1911 Indian Football Association (IFA)

Shield, becoming the first Indian Club to defeat British.

Events of 2020 Mohun Bagan Day: The Club decided not to celebrate any physical programme for

2020 Mohun Bagan Day on 29th July 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The awards will be personally presented to the awardees available in Kolkata and for the other

awardees, the award will be handed after the pandemic.

Ashok Kumar is the son of Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand.

He represented Bengal in the late 1960 and was later selected to the Indian Hockey team.

He won silver medals in the three consecutive Asian Games of 1970, 1974 and 1978.


He also won the bronze and silver in the 1971 and 1973 World Cups and won the gold for India

in 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur against Pakistan.

He won the bronze medal in the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.

Diana Award: A 13-year-old schoolgirl from Delhi has been selected among the recipients of the

2020 Diana Award, an honour given on the birth anniversary of Princess Diana (of Wales) to

youngsters for humanitarian efforts.

Key Points: She received the award for developing Recycler App, a web-based mobile application

to connect users with waste-handlers. The door-to-door pick up service helps in easy disposal of

recyclable waste for those who may not have the means or time to travel to drop their waste.

The App also claims to be helpful for waste-handlers, whose earnings are usually low and are

vulnerable to health issues because of improper handling of waste.

Mandated Sustainable Development Goals of poverty alleviation, innovation, infrastructure,

responsible consumption and climate action.

Her work on sustainable recycling is a valuable contribution towards achieving the United Nation-

Diana Awards were established in 1999 and it is considered one of the highest accolades a young

person can receive for social action or humanitarian efforts.

Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2020

Almost 702 Districts (95%) have registered and participated in the Prime Minister's Awards for

Excellence in Public Administration 2020.

Out of this, 678 Districts have chosen District Performance Indicators Program (DPIP).

Total 646 applications have been received under Innovations Category out of which 104 belong to

Central Government organizations.

Key Points: It was constituted in 2006 by the Government of India to acknowledge, recognize

and reward the extraordinary and innovative work done by districts and organizations of the Central

and State Governments.

The award consists of a trophy, scroll and an incentive of Rs. 10 lakh to the awarded district or

organization to be utilized for implementation of project/programme or bridging resource gaps in any

area of public welfare.

Restructuring: The award programme was restructured in 2014 for recognizing the performance of

District Collectors in Priority Programs, Innovations and Aspirational Districts.

It has been restructured again in 2020, to recognize the contribution of civil servants in strengthening

of: (1) Inclusive Development through Credit Flow to the Priority Sector. (2)

Promoting people’s movements through Swachh Bharat Mission in the District.

(3) Improving Service Delivery and Redressal of Public Grievances.

The restructuring also seeks to recognize the efforts of District level officials in the Namami Gange

Program and to recognize the performance of District Collectors towards economic development of

the District.

The award for the Aspirational Districts Program has been revamped to reward the District having

the best overall progress under the Scheme following 2 years of implementation.

Through restructuring, the scope of the awards has been expanded to identify areas of overall

outcome-oriented performance in the districts across sectors.


Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021: The Ministry of Women and Child Development

has invited nominations for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021 from children,

individuals and institutions.

The Awards are given by the President of India in the week preceding Republic Day (26th

January) every year.

Key Points: The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is given under two categories: (1) Bal

Shakti Puraskar and (2) Bal Kalyan Puraskar.

Bal Shakti Puraskar: It is given by the Government of India every year to recognize exceptional

achievements of children in various fields i.e., innovation, scholastic achievements, social service,

arts & culture, sports and bravery.

A medal, a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000, book vouchers worth Rs.10,000, a certificate and citation.

It was instituted in 1996 as the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement, renamed

from 2018 as Bal Shakti Puraskar.

Bal Kalyan Puraskar: It is given as recognition to individuals and institutions, who have made an

outstanding contribution towards service for children in the field of child development, child

protection and child welfare.

She/he should have worked for the cause of children for not less than 7 years. An individual who is

an Indian Citizen and residing in India and should have attained the age of 18

The institution should not be entirely funded by the government and should have been in the field of

child welfare for 10 years and performing consistently in the field.

Award: Three awards are given in each of the two categories - Individual and Institution - along

with cash prizes (Rs. 1,00, 000 and Rs. 5,00, 000 respectively.

Jananpith Award: Renowned Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri was conferred the

55th edition of the Jnanpith Award.

Key Points: It has achieved the recognition of the highest literary award of the country. English

along with other Indian languages is considered for the Award. The Award is open for only

Indian citizens and is given annually. The prize carries a cash award of Rs. 11 lakhs, a citation, and

a bronze replica of Vagdevi (Saraswati), the goddess of learning.

It is sponsored by the cultural organization Bharatiya Jnanpith. In 2019, author Amitav

Ghosh was felicitated with 54th Jnanpith Award. He became the first English language writer

to become a Jnanpith laureate.

Kerala Tourisms Human by Nature campaign bagged 2020 PATA Grand Award

Kerala Tourism's internationally-acclaimed 'Human by Nature' campaign has bagged one of the three

PATA Grand Awards 2020.

The awards were announced live during a virtual presentation ceremony in Beijing, China. The

award recognized the Campaign's Marketing, giving a huge stimulus to the state's tourism industry,

which has been severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.


PATA Award Highlights: The PATA Gold Awards 2020 received 121 entries from 62

organizations and individuals across the world.

The winners were selected by a judging committee of 16 personalities from various destinations.

PATA 2020 presented 3 Grand Title Winners and 21 Gold Awards for best of show entries in the

categories of Marketing, Sustainability and Human Capital Development.

President virtually presented 2020 National Sports and Adventure Awards

President of India Ram Nath Kovind virtually presented the National Sports and Adventure Awards,

2020 from Rashtrapati Bhavan on 29 August 2020.

Highlights: The sports award is presented every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: This award is for the spectacular and most outstanding

performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.

Arjuna Award is presented for consistently outstanding performance for four years.

Dronacharya Award is for the coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international

sports events.

Dhyan Chand Award is presented for lifetime contribution to sports development.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is awarded to the corporate entities in both the private and

public sectors and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and

development.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy is given to the overall top performing university in inter-

university tournaments.

In addition, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is awarded to recognize the spirit of

adventure among the people of the country.

**** *** ****


CURRENT AFFAIRS – AWARDS – OCTOBER TO DECEMBER, 2020

Digital India Awards conferred for Excellence in Web Space: Digital India Award formerly

known as Web Ratna Awards is an initiative to acknowledge the exemplary initiatives in e-

Governance. The Government of India (GoI) has been bracing for innovation and transformation in

the delivery of information/services with the adoption of best ICT practices.

The Government of India (GoI) has been deploying innovative digital solutions to enhance the quality

and reach of government services. Every year, Digital-Governance initiatives are demonstrating the

power of ICT in improving the ease of living for all citizens. With the growing spread of internet &

mobile, citizens are empowered to gain from government services using any digital device, anywhere,

any time.

To provide accessible information & services, the Digital India Awards (DIA) offers an apt

opportunity to showcase such initiatives.

As government entities at all levels - Centre, State & across India - continue undertaking various

initiatives. The Digital India Awards (DIA), instituted under the aegis of National Portal of India,

serve the purpose of bringing to the fore innovative digital solutions & thereby inspiring emulation by

all government entities.

CSIR-CDRI Scientist, Dr Satish Mishra bags "DrTulsi Das Chugh Award-2020"

The Orations & Awards Committee of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), has

selected Dr Satish Mishra, Principal Scientist, Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology,

CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow for “Dr.Tulsi Das Chugh Award” for the year 2020 in recognition of his

research work on Malaria parasite’s life cycle which is a complex process involving two hosts and

three invasive stages.

His outstanding work focused on “Secreted Protein with Altered Thrombospondin Repeat (SPATR)

which is Essential for Asexual Blood Stages but not required for Hepatocyte Invasion by the Malaria

Parasite Plasmodium Berghei”.

This study focuses on the dispensability of SPATR in P. berghei sporozoites and its importance for

the establishment of blood stage infection, further investigation is needed to unravel its precise role

during this process.

The Academy and the Award: National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) was registered as the

‘Indian Academy of Medical Sciences’ on 21st April, 1961 under Societies Registration Act XXI of

1860.

The Academy was re-named National Academy of Medical Sciences (India) on 16th November,

1976 on the recommendations of a Working Group set up by the Govt. of India.

A number of prestigious Orations and Awards have been instituted by the Academy and are bestowed

upon eminent bio-medical scientists in recognition of their outstanding contributions.

The organization won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize: The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded

to the World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations (UN) agency, for its efforts to combat

hunger, bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and preventing the use of

hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.


Key Points: It was established in 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and became a full-fledged UN programme in

1965.Headquarters: Rome, Italy.

Significance and Achievements: Eradicating hunger is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development

Goals (SDG 2: Zero Hunger) to be achieved by 2030 and WFP is the UN’s primary agency that

works towards this goal.

Currently, it is the world’s largest humanitarian agency combating hunger.

In 2019, it assisted 97 million people, the largest number since 2012, in 88 countries. The same year,

it delivered about 4.4 million tonnes of food, purchased USD 1.7 billion worth of food from 91

countries, and USD 762 million worth of goods and services from 156 countries.

IACC presents lifetime achievement award to Ratan Tata: The Indo-American Chamber of

Commerce (IACC) has presented the lifetime achievement award to business icon Ratan Tata as

part of its recent global leadership awards.

The IACC leadership bestowed the IACC Lifetime and Global Excellence Awards to Tata on Friday

at a closed-door meeting, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, according to a statement.

Tata, who grew the revenues for India's largest conglomerate 'The Tata Group' to nearly USD 100

billion by 2011-12, remains an influential industrialist, philanthropist and humanitarian to the day,

IACC said.

Tata, who has accepted fewer awards over the last few years, received the honour as he believed that

these awards inspire future global leaders and strengthen bilateral economic ties between India and

the US.

The group is deeply entrenched in multiple industries globally, from heavy steel (TATA Steel),

automobiles (TATA Motors), ITES (TATA Consultancy Services), among others.

After he retired from the helm of the Group, Tata remains an influential mentor to multiple Indian

start-ups.

Britain’s Prince William launched 50 million pound Earthshot Prize: Britain’s Prince William

has launched a new 50-million pound Earthshot Prize, aimed at funding the most innovative solutions

some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Key Points: Theme: The Earthshot Prize is centred around five “Earthshots”, simple but ambitious

goals for the planet, which if achieved by 2030 will improve life for all, for generations to come.

It is said to be the most prestigious global prize for the environment in history.

Five Earthshots:

o Protect and restore nature

o Clean our air

o Revive our oceans

o Build a waste-free world

o Fix our climate.

Background: The launch, backed by popular British broadcaster and conservationist David

Attenborough, comes after two years of work by Prince William and the Royal Foundation of the

Duke to develop a project which will support the global effort to protect and restore the

environment.


Recently Sir David Attenborough has also been conferred with Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for

2019.

The Prize has been launched taking inspiration from former USA President John F. Kennedy’s

Moonshot, which united millions of people around an organizing goal to put man on the moon and

catalyzed the development of new technology in the 1960s.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 will be shared by three laureates for discovering ‘the darkest

secrets of the universe’. One half of the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Roger

Penrose for discovering that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of

relativity.

The other half of the Nobel Prize in Physics this year will be shared by Reinhard Genzel and

Andrea Ghez for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of the galaxy.

In addition to the award and the prestige that comes with it, the winners also get a gold medal and 10

million Swedish kronor ($1.18 million). They were chosen by the Nobel Assembly, composed of

50 voting members.

On 7th October, 2020, Goran K. Hansson, Secretary-General of the Royal Swedish Academy of

Sciences, announced the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 jointly to Emmanuelle Charpentier of

France and Jennifer A. Doudna of the United States for the development of a method for genome

editing, namely ‘CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors’. The method is one of gene technology’s sharpest

tools.

This is the 1st time, 2 women have jointly won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Kerala won the United Nation Interagency Task Force Award (UNIATF) for its outstanding

performance in controlling non-communicable diseases related Sustainable Development Goals.

The award recognizes achievements during 2019 on the multi-sectoral action in the prevention and

control of NCDs, mental health and the wider NCD-related sustainable development goals (SDGs).

In addition, the state-of-the-art lung disease control program, cancer treatment program and paralysis

control program were also considered for the award.

The state government has arranged facilities from the basic public health centers to hospitals at all

levels to treat the lifestyle diseases.

This is the first time the state has been recognized for this annual award by the UN.

The UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) award this year on prevention and control of non-

communicable diseases was announced by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Awards will be made in four categories: Ministries of health and government health agencies

Ministries and government agencies outside health UN country teams

Non-governmental organizations, academia and foundations.

Young researchers awarded with 2020 CDRI Award: The CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute

(CDRI), Lucknow awarded young researchers with CDRI Award for their outstanding contribution in

drug discovery and development. CDRI Award 2020 was conferred to Dr Bushra Ateeq, Dr Surajit

Ghosh and Dr Ravi Manjithaya.


Highlights: Dr.Bushra Ateeq was awarded for new therapeutic avenues for prostate cancer. Her

findings provide an explanation for the clinical-outcomes after Androgen Deprivation Therapy

(ADT), possibly due to SPINK1 upregulation. It offers CK1 inhibition as a strategy for Prostate

Cancer adjuvant therapies.

Dr.Surajit Ghosh was awarded for her contribution in Discovery of Nuclear Localizing Cell

Penetrating Peptide (CPP) for an anticancer drug. The study opens up new avenues towards the

development of next-generation cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) and major groove specific anticancer

drugs.

Dr.RaviManjithaya was awarded for his outstanding work on Chemical genetics-based identification

of autophagy-modulating small molecules. It provides mechanistic insights and therapeutic potential.

He has identified and characterized several autophagy-modulating small molecules. His research

reveals potential therapeutic avenues towards diseases that currently have no cure.

CDRI Award 2020: CDRI Award was instituted in the year 2004. The award is to promote scientific

excellence in the country and to recognize outstanding contribution in the area of Drug Research and

Development.

CDRI awards are given every year to the Indian Nationals below 45 years of age. The person must

have carried out outstanding research work in the area having a direct bearing on Drug Research and

Development.

Two separate individual awards are presented in the area of Chemical Sciences and Life Sciences.

CDRI Award carries a cash prize of Rs.20,000 and a citation.

Delhi Crime wins Best Drama Series at the International Emmy Awards 2020: The Netflix show, Delhi Crime, has won at the 48th International Emmy Awards 2020. It bagged

the Best Drama Series award against Germany's Charité 2 Season 2, UK's Criminal UK and

Argentina's El Jardín de Bronce (The Bronze Garden) Season 2. On the other hand, another Indian

show, Amazon Prime Video's Four More Shots Please, that was nominated for the Best Comedy

Series, lost out. Made In Heaven's Arjun Mathur was nominated for the Best Actor award for the

same Amazon Original, however, he too lost out against tough competitors.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve gets global award for doubling tiger population: The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department have bagged the first-

ever international award, TX2, for doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10

years.

PTR was the first to receive the award among 13 tiger range countries.

It achieved this goal in just four years from 2014, when it had 25 tigers which went up to 65 in 2018.

The award was virtually presented to the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) of the state,

Sunil Pandey, by UNDP's (United Nations Development Program) head of ecosystems and

biodiversity, Mindori Paxton.

Pandey said the global target of doubling the tiger population was set in 2010 by the partners in TX2

award -- UNDP, Global Tiger Forum, and International Union for Conservation of Nature, World

Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation Assured/Tiger Standards and the Lion's Share.

Naveen Khandelwal, deputy director of PTR, had applied for this award in September this year

after the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) released this year's the state-wise figures


of the tiger estimation which was based on the census conducted in 2018 in all tiger reserves across

the country.

Khandelwal said no other tiger reserve among all the 13 tiger range countries could succeed in

doubling the big cat population in a span of 10 years.

All about AICTE's Lilavati Award-2020: Education Minister “Nishank” virtually launched Lilavati

Award-2020: AICTE's innovative education program to empower women.

The Lilavati Award is an initiative of the technical education regulator, All India Council for

Technical Education (AICTE), and it aims to recognize efforts by AICTE-approved institutions to

treat women with ‘equality and fairness’.

The objective of the award is to create awareness about issues like sanitation, hygiene, health,

nutrition, literacy, and employment among women.

The government emphasized on the necessity to impart quality education to girl child to make them

self-reliant, confident and successful.

Government has launched several welfare schemes for the overall development of girl child and

women such as Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, BetiBachao BetiPadhao, and CBSE Udaan Scheme.

The theme of Lilavati Award is women’s empowerment.

Entries for Lilavati Award 2020 can be submitted at institution or team level, comprising students or

faculty or both from AICTE approved institutions.

The eligible entries received from different institutions will be evaluated by a committee and the

winning team will get certificates for first, second and third ranks under every sub-theme.

The award has been divided into various categories and entries for the award are invited under the

category Institutional/ Team Level which comprises of students/ faculty/ both from AICTE approved

technical institution / Deemed to be University who had undertaken remarkable intervention in the

various sub-themes and made an impact in the society.

The team has to showcase their work undertaken in the last two years from the date of announcement

of the award for the cause of women empowerment.

Douglas Stuart wins Booker Prize 2020 for debut novel Shuggie Bain: The Booker Prize of the

year 2020 was won by Douglas Stuart for his debut novel “Shuggie Bain”.

The shortlist of Booker Prize consisted of five more titles such as Burnt Sugar. The Burnt Sugar was

published in India as “Girl in White Cotton”. It also included “The New Wilderness” by Diane Cook,

“The Shadow King” by MaazaMengiste, “This Mournable Body” by TsitsiDangarembga, “Real Life”

by Brandon Taylor and “The Shadow King” by Maaza Mengiste.

Apart from these authors, the event also witnessed the participation of former US President Barack

Obama. He recently published the first volume of his book “A Promised Land”. The book was written

by Obama during his tenure as the President of United States (2009-17).

The Booker Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best novel. The prize is awarded to

novels written in English and published in Ireland or UK. It was formerly known as “Booker-

McConnell Prize” (1969-2001) and Man Booker Prize (2002-2019). In 1997, Arundati Roy of India

won the Booker Prize for her Novel “The God of Small Things”.


6 women-led start-ups win Covid-19 Shri Shakti Challenge award: In collaboration with UN

women, six Bengaluru women-led startups have won Covid-19 Shri Shakti Challenge organized by

MyGov.

Launched in April 2020, the aim of the organization was to encourage and involve women-led

startups to come up with innovative solutions that can help in the fight against coronavirus or solve

problems that impact a large number of women.

The Challenge was implemented in two stages: Ideation stage and Proof of Concept (PoC) Stage

The challenge received an overwhelming response with a total of 1265 entries, from across the nation.

After thorough screening, 25 startups were shortlisted for presentations to the Jury which included

Debjani Ghosh, President NASSCOM, Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer (CTO)

Microsoft India, Dr R Ramanan, MD Atal Innovation Mission, Nishtha Satyam, Dy Country

representative, UN Women India and Abhishek Singh, CEO MyGov.

All 25 selected startups presented their solutions to the Jury, which evaluated the solutions proposed

by the startups on the parameters that included innovation, usability, relevance and impact of their

idea on the society and after thorough review 11 finalists were chosen for the next stage.

All the 11 selected startups were provided a prize money of Rs.75,000 each to further develop their

ideas.

In addition to the earlier announced reward of Rs.5 lakh for the top 3 winners, UN Women was

generous enough to agree to reward Rs.2 lakh each to the 3 startups chosen for their promising

solutions.

Top 3 winners are as follows: Dr P Gayatri Hela is the founder of Bengaluru-based Resada Life

Sciences Private Limited that designs and develops home and agricultural-based products using

plant extracts instead of synthetic chemicals.

Romita Ghosh, a cancer survivor, is the founder of Shimla-based iHealHealthTech Private Limited

which is a healthcare start-up that has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID and has been

providing PPE kits to hospitals.

Dr Anjana Ramkumar and Dr Anushka Ashokan are the product manager and co-founder of

Kerala based Thanmatra Innovations Private Limited have come up with the innovative solution of an

anti-microbial solution that could be sprayed into handkerchiefs or dupattas for making them safe to

be used as Face Masks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded 'Legion of Merit' PM Modi won the American Legion of Excellence Award. Mr. Modi was awarded the award for

his leadership in enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries and the rise of India as

a global power.

The Prime Minister was awarded the Legion Medal, the highest honor, only to the head of state or

head of government.

The award was also awarded to the prime ministers of Australia and Japan.

The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award awarded by the U.S. Armed Forces for outstanding

service and achievement.


The decorations were issued to eight American soldiers in uniforms and military and political figures

from foreign governments.

In addition to Mr. Modi, other Indians who received this award include: Marshall Cariappa Mustang

(1950)-Chief Commander Degree General Satyawant Maulana Srinagesh (1955) – degree in the

commander-in-chief General Rajendra Singh Jadeja (1946)-Commander's Degree Admiral Jal ursetji

(1978)-Commander Degree General Bikram Singh (2013)-Commander Degree General Dalbir Singh

Suhag (2018)-Commander Degree.

The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 has been awarded to Dr. Carolina Araujo,

Mathematician from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

She received the Prize for her outstanding work in algebraic geometry. Her work area focuses on

birational geometry, which aims to classify and describe the structure of algebraic varieties.

The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from developing countries has been awarded

annually since 2005.

It was originally instituted by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the

NielsHenrik Abel Memorial Fund, and the International Mathematical Union (IMU).The participation

of the Abel Fund ended in 2012.

The Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India (DST) has agreed to fund the

Prize, starting with the 2014 Prize.

It is awarded to a researcher from a developing country who is less than 45 years of age on 31st

December of the year of the award, and who has conducted outstanding research in a developing

country.

Researchers working in any branch of the mathematical sciences are eligible. The Prize carries a USD

15,000 cash award.

Ranjitsinh Disale, an elementary school teacher in Solapur, Maharashtra, won the Global

Teacher Award 2020.

It is an annual award of one million dollars to recognize outstanding teachers who have made

outstanding contributions to their profession.

He is Founder of Varkey Foundation, a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving

education. The award is organized in cooperation with UNESCO.

Objective is to emphasizes the importance of educators and the fact that their efforts deserve

recognition and praise throughout the world.

It tries to recognize that the best teachers have an impact not only on their students, but also on the

communities around them.

Insufficient education is an important factor in the social, political, economic and health problems

facing the world today. Education has the ability to alleviate poverty, prejudice and conflict.

He converted a dilapidated school into a school, which later became the first school in Maharashtra to

introduce a Quick Response (QR) code. A QR code is a barcode containing a matrix of dots. It can

be scanned using a QR scanner or a smart phone with a built-in camera.


He not only translates classroom textbooks into student's native language, but also embeds them in

unique QR codes so that students can read audio poems, video lectures, stories and assignments.

He is also passionate about building peace among young people in conflict areas. His 'Let's Cross the

Borders' project connects young people in India and Pakistan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq and Iran, and

the United States and North Korea.

There is no record of teenage marriage in the village, and the enrollment rate of girls has reached

100%. The state government announced in 2017 that they will launch QR code textbooks for all

grades across the state. In 2018, it was announced that all NCERT textbooks will have QR codes

embedded.

‘No Dorai' and ‘Fagun Haway’ win Bangladesh best films award of 2019

The Bangladesh Ministry of information on 3rd December, 2020 announced the National Film Awards

for 2019.

Films ‘No Dorai’ and ‘Fagun Haway’ jointly won the best film award. Taneem Rahman Anghshu

who directed the film ‘No Dorai’ got the best Director award.

The film ‘No Dorai’ dominated the awards in several categories including best cinematography

(Sumon Kumar Sarker), Best Sound Recording (Ripon Nath) and best Screenplay (Mahboob

Rahman).

‘No Dorai’, meaning ‘Not Afraid’ is the story of a community in the beach town of Cox’s Bazar in

Bangladesh. The community does not allow women to venture into the sea and forces them into strict

social norms.

The awards this year have been given away in 26 categories.

Eminent actor Sohel Rana and actress Kohinoor Akhter Suchanda jointly won the Life Time

Achievement Award for their contribution to the film industry.

Tarique Anam Khan was adjudged the best actor in lead role (male) for 'Abar Basanta' while the

award for best actress in lead role (female) went to Sunehra Binte Kamal for 'No Dorai'.

Zahid Hasan got the Best Villain award for his role in the film ‘Shaludu’.

‘Nari Jibon’ got the best short film award while ‘Ja Chilo Ondhokare’ was selected for the best

documentary film of 2019.

Emon Chowdhury got the best Music Director award for the film ‘Maya- The Lost Mother'.

Best playback singer (male) award was given to Mrinal Kanti Das. Best Female singer award was

awarded jointly to Momtaz Begum and Fatima Tuz Zahara Oyshee.

Plabon Koroshi and Tanvir Tarek won the award for best music composer category.

**** *** ****

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