Current Affairs September 2017 - Awards

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News 1 - NITI Aayog announced Winners of the Women Transforming India Awards 2017

NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, announced the winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017.

The Top six contestants are − Laxmi Agarwal − a champion of violence against women. Safeena Husain − working for girls’ education in India’s most backward districts. Kamal Kumbhar − enabling women like herself to realize their dreams of a brighter tomorrow. Subasini Mistry − working for two decades to build a hospital for the needy. Arunima Sinha − Is the first female amputee to scale the highest mountain in the world. Jamuna Tudu − has conserved 50 hectares of forestland around her village in Jharkhand.

The other six runner-ups are − Rajlakshmi Borthakur, Harshini Kanhekar, Sunita Kamble, Kiran Kanojia, Shima Modak and Kanika Tekriwal.

News 2 - Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail awarded the Saraswati Samman for 2016

Popular Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail has been awarded the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan that captures the lives of the potter community in Goa. He was presented with a plaque and a cash prize of ₹ 15 lakh.

Mr. Sail has four Marathi dramas and seven Konkani novels to his credit. The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any 22 Indian language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India. It was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation.

News 3 - Reliance Foundation awarded Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar

The Reliance Foundation was rewarded with the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award for its contribution to the promotion of sports. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the award to Chairperson of the foundation, Nita Ambani. Reliance Foundation helps in spreading sportsmanship among the youth of the country.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) also received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar this year for its ‘Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent’ (IDCO) program.

News 4 - Hyderabad Airport won the Energy Efficiency Award

Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has bagged the National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The conference focused on recognising companies that are engaged in energy efficiency initiatives and displaying commitment towards energy conservation. GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) is a company promoted as a joint venture comprising the GMR Group (63%) in partnership with Government of India (13%), Government of Telangana (13%) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%).

News 5. UNESCO announces winners of International Literacy prizes 2017

The UNESCO has announced the winners of the 2017 International Literacy Prizes. Currently there are two UNESCO International Literacy Prizes −

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize (two awards): Shared by the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance from Canada and the We Love Reading programme from Jordan.

The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy (three awards): AdulTICo Program from Columbia, The Citizens Foundation from Pakistan, and the FunDza project from South Africa.

Each of the five prizewinners receives a medal, a diploma and US$20.000.

News 6 - Vice President gave 319 National awards to teachers

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu conferred 319 National Award to Teachers on Teacher's Day in a function at New Delhi. National Teachers Award was given as public recognition to meritorious teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools. The awards, which were instituted in 1958, carry a medal, certificate, and award money of 50 thousand rupees.

The Vice President also launched DIKSHA portal, a National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers. It is a unique initiative, which leverages existing highly scalable and flexible digital infrastructures, while keeping teachers at the centre.

News 7 - Narayana Murthy conferred with the PLuS Alliance Prize

Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and Mumbai-born scientist Veena Sahajwalla have been conferred the PLuS Alliance Prize for Global Leadership and for Research Innovation respectively.

The PLuS Alliance is an international collaboration between Arizona State University, King's College London, and UNSW Sydney and is awarded in two categories; Education Innovation and Research Innovation. It recognises Research Innovation, Education Innovation, Global Leadership and Global Innovation. The award carries prize money of USD 50,000.

News 8 - GIFT City bagged ASSOCHAM Services Excellence Awards

Gujarat International Finance-Tec City (GIFT City) was honoured with Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) Services Excellence Award, held in New Delhi, for its immense contribution to the development of the International Financial Services and Technology Hub in India. It is an honour given to cities having great capability in attracting foreign investment flows, contribute to export of services as well as provide large-scale employment, thus contributing to GDP.

GIFT City, India’s first International Financial Services Centre, is not only operational with 10 leading banks, 2 international exchanges, but also developing India’s first global financial hub.

News 9 - Tahir Mahmood won N R Madhava Menon Best Law Teacher award

Eminent jurist Tahir Mahmood was awarded with the Prof N R Madhava Menon Best Law Teacher Award 2017. Professor Dr Tahir Mahmood is currently the Distinguished Jurist Chair, Professor of Eminence & Chairman of Amity University. Mar Gregorios College of Law, Trivandrum received the SILF-MILAT Institutional Excellence Award - 2017. Prof V.C. Vivekanandan received the SILF-MILAT Legal Education Innovation Award - 2017.

Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy Training (MILAT) has been honouring law teachers and law schools in India since September 2009.

News 10 - Two US scientists and an Indian Economist among 2017 Balzan awardees

Two U.S. Scientists, James Allison of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Robert Schreiber of the Washington University School of Medicine, are among the winners of this year’s Balzan Prizes for their contribution to creating immunological treatments for cancer.

An Indian Economist, Bina Agarwal, a professor at the University of Manchester, was also selected for the award for her work studying women’s contributions to agriculture in India. The Balzan Foundation awards two prizes in the sciences and two in the humanities each year with an award money of 750,000 Swiss francs.

News 11 - Marine Products Export Development Authority bagged Rajbhasha Keerti Award

It has been for the third time that Rajbhasha Keerti Award was honoured to Marine Products Export Development Authority. Award was given to appreciate implementation of Official language in the organization. Various other organizations who were awarded with this award were Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Vijaya Bank who bagged the first prize under the Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar (Region C) for the year 2016-17.

Rajbhasha Keerti Award is every year given by Department of Official Language to honor organizations contributing their best in implementing official language.

News 12 - Global Diversity Award was given to Indian actor Salman Khan

Britain’s House of Commons honoured Bollywood actor Salman Khan with Global Diversity Award. This award is honoured to people who have done something for diversity in the world. Salmaan Khan was appreciated by longest-serving Asian MP Keith Vaz for his immense contribution in humanitarian causes and his work as a philanthropist and as an actor.

Other recipients of this award were Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, actor Aishwarya Rai, Chinese actor Jackie Chan, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, American Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

News 13 - Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust wins “Rajbhasha Kirti Award” for 11^th consecutive time

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) was awarded the “Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar” for the year 2016-17 in the category of ‘B’ region for autonomous bodies and boards, for its excellent implementation of the Official Language.

The award (second prize) was presented at an elegant ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on Hindi Divas celebration on September 14, 2017. This is the 11^th consecutive year that Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has won this award.

News 14 - The 69^th Emmy awardees list announced

The 69^th Annual Primetime Emmy award winners were announced at an event held in Los Angeles, California, U.S. the ceremony was hosted by Stephen Colbert. The award winners were as follows −

• Outstanding Drama Series - “The Handmaid's Tale”

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Sterling K. Brown - “This Is Us”

• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Elisabeth Moss - “The Handmaid's Tale”

• Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series - Offred (Pilot)

• Outstanding Television Movie - “Black Mirror: San Junipero”

• Outstanding Variety Talk Series - “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”

News 15 - Former DIG D Roopa was honoured with the President's Medal

Governor Vajubhai Vala honoured former DIG (Prisons) D Roopa with the President's Medal for her outstanding service, at a ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Bengaluru. With this, she became the only woman to have been awarded the prize.

She was the one reported to the Director General of Prisons, about alleged irregularities at the central jail of Karnataka, including preferential treatment to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala. She has been working as Deputy Inspector General of Police and Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety.

News 16 - Bahubali Director S S Rajamouli received ANR award

S S Rajamouli, Director of Bahubali, was felicitated with the prestigious ANR National Award by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for his contribution to the Telugu film industry.

The ANR National Award was instituted by the Akkineni International foundation in the honor of Akkineni Nageswara Rao.

The award was given annually to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.

News 17 - BCCI nominated MS Dhoni for Padma Bhushan award

The Indian Cricket Board has nominated Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the country's third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, for his contribution to the game.

According to the BCCI, it was a unanimous decision to nominate India's most successful captain, Dhoni.

Dhoni is already a recipient of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Padma Shri award. The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award of the country.

News 18 - Zannah Mustapha, Visionary Nigerian teacher won the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award

Zannah Mustapha of Nigeria has been named the 2017 winner of UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award for his inspirational work helping Nigerian Children access Education and for negotiating the release of the Chibok schoolchildren abducted by Boko Haram.

Mustapha founded a school in 2007 in Maiduguri − the capital of Borno State and the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency. The school has stayed open throughout the conflict with Boko Haram. The school provides a free education, as well as free meals, uniforms and health care, to children affected by violence.

News 19 - C.N.R. Rao chosen for International Honour for Materials Research

Professor C.N.R Rao has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research.

The award is the US-based Materials Research Society’s (MRS) highest honour. The award includes a cash prize, trophy and a diploma.

Professor C.N.R Rao is Bharat Ratna awardee. He currently serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. He is one of the world's foremost solid state and materials chemists.

News 20 - Rajkummar Rao won the GQ Actor of the Year Award

National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao bagged the GQ Actor of the Year Award.

List of other winners:

News 21 - AAI’s Srinagar and Raipur Airports awarded as Best Airports under National Tourism Awards 2015-16

The Airports Authority of India’s Srinagar International Airport, Jammu & Kashmir and Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur, Chhattisgarh were jointly conferred with the prestigious National Tourism Awards 2015-16 by the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind for Best Airport under ‘rest of India’ category, on World Tourism Day.

It is the first time that two airports jointly have been selected as best airports for their innovative style of functioning, pro-environment initiatives and passenger friendly approach.