Ludhiana, November 09, 2022 (News Team): Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, founded in 1983 by Late Shri Sat Paul Mittal, today conferred the Sat Paul Mittal National Awards and distributed scholarships for the year 2022. These were presented by the Guest of Honor, Hon’ble Governor of Punjab Shri Banwarilal Purohit. Also, present was Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust and Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises.
The Sat Paul Mittal National Award winners were presented with a total cash prize of Rs. 12 lakhs and were felicitated with citations for the Sat Paul Mittal Platinum Award and the Sat Paul Gold Award for the year 2022 in Individual and Institutional categories.
Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust has sanctioned around 90 lacs for 1500 scholarship sunder - Mittal-Panday Scholarship (Meritorious), Mittal-Panday Scholarship (Graduate), Mittal-Panday Scholarship (Post Graduate), Mittal-Panday Scholarship (Vocational) and Nehru Scholarships categories to support students from socially and economically challenged backgrounds to complete their education.
The Sat Paul Mittal Platinum Award 2022 in the ‘Individual’ category was received by Dr. Radhike Khanna
- A visionary in the field of special education, she championed the cause of persons with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities. She spearheads 3 organizations - Om Creations Trust, Shraddha Charitable Trust and Om ABODE Social Innovation Institute. With her pioneering methodologies, she has ensured a holistic understanding of individuals with special needs and has forged new ways of teaching young adults and training special educators. In her 35 years of journey, she has contributed towards the Sustainable Development Goals, impacted and empowered specially abled young adults and has earned recognition both at the national and global level.
The Sat Paul Mittal Platinum Award 2022 in the ‘Institutional’ category the award was conferred to Help age India.
- Set up in 1978, Help Age is a leading charity in India spread across 26 states and 245 locations. It has supported over 2 million elders across the country through our various programs. More than 1 lakh elderly have been provided security, through 8000+ Elder–Self-Help-Groups (ESHGs). It operates one of Asia’s largest mobile healthcare networks for elders, with 165 Mobile Healthcare Units operating across 2400 villages across 24 states & Union Territories. Its National Toll Free Helpline service is the first of its kind in India and is operational in 15 States. It runs Government supported Elderline and supports action groups of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
The Sat Paul Mittal Gold Award 2022in the ‘Individual’ category was received by Sh. Jadav Payeng
- Jadav "Molai" Payeng is an environmental activist and forestry worker from Majuli. Popularly known as the ‘The Forest Man’, he has spent 30 years of his life planting around 40 million trees to turn 550 hectares of barren land into a lush green forest all by himself. Payeng’s forest has been named Molai forest after him, and visitors and environmentalists travel from across the world to see it. With his reforestation efforts which continue even today, wildlife has returned to the area. In 2015, he was honored with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India for his contribution towards society.
The Sat Paul Mittal Gold Award 2022in the ‘Institutional’ category was conferred to Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation
- Instituted in November 2006, Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) works towards mainstreaming persons affected by leprosy and their families through socioeconomic empowerment, thereby restoring dignity to their lives. S-ILF has reached out to more than 2,800 beneficiaries of livelihood projects in 289 colonies across 18 states, provided opportunities for higher professional education to more than 300 scholars and has benefited around 400 children through its after school learning centres. Through its various awareness campaigns around leprosy, S-ILF has reached out to more than two million people.
Congratulating the winners, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President, Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, said, “Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust is committed to empowering the disadvantaged sections of society with a special focus on education. We are grateful to receive an overwhelming response and exceptional award entries showcasing their selfless commitment towards society. I congratulate all the exemplars for their compassion, commitment and trailblazing efforts towards the upliftment of weaker sections of society. The transformational work done by these individuals and organisations leaves behind a legacy to get inspired and take action for the inclusive growth of the communities at large.Under Hon’ble PM Modi’s leadership the country is now ushering an “education revolution” which will place India’s educational system on the global map ensuring inclusivity and equitability in education.”
The ‘Sat Paul Mittal Platinum Award’ and ‘Sat Paul Mittal GoldAward’ are given annually for outstanding service to humanity. Every yearNehru Sidhant Kender Trust invites nominations for honouring individuals and institutions working in areas including but not limited to health, education, environment, food, shelter, poverty alleviation, art, culture, child rights, welfare of the differently abled and women empowerment.
Prominent past recipients of the awards include Dr. E. Sreedharan, Dr. S.S. Badrinath, Ela R. Bhatt, Late Sunil Dutt, Anna Hazare, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, SOS Children's Villages & Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Navjyoti Delhi Police Foundation for Correction De-addiction & Rehabilitation among others.