Tag Archives: President Droupadi Murmu

Manu Bhaker, Gukesh among four athletes to get Khel Ratna award; record 17 para-athletes to receive Arjuna

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“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January, 2025 (Friday) at 1100 hours,” the Sports Ministry said.

Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker and chess world champion D Gukesh were among four winners of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award announced by the Sports Ministry, which also named an unprecedented 17 para-athletes in the list of 32 Arjuna awardees to honour their resounding success at the Paris Paralympics.

The other two Khel Ratna winners unveiled by the ministry on Thursday for the year 2024 were men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.

The awards will be conferred on the athletes by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17.

22-year-old Manu Bhaker became independent India’s first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronze-winning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August.

In the same Games, Hamranpreet led the Indian hockey team to its second consecutive bronze medal.

18-year-old Gukesh , on the other hand, became the youngest ever World champion while also helping the Indian team win a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad last year.

The fourth recipient will be para high-jumper Praveen, who was crowned the T64 champion in the Paris Paralympics.

The T64 classification is for athletes who have one or both legs missing below the knee and rely on a prosthetic leg for running.

“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January, 2025 [Friday] at 1100 hours,” the Sports Ministry said in a press release.

The Khel ratna awardees receive a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation and a medallion. The Arjuna awardees are given Rs 15 lakh as cash reward, a statuette of Arjuna and a citation.

The athletes selected for this year’s Arjuna award include Paris Olympics bronze medal-winning lot of wrestler Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh and the men’s hockey team players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay and Abhishek.

The para-athletes outnumber the able-bodied ones in the list of Arjuna winners this time due to the magnificent Paris showing in which they returned with 29 medals, including seven gold and nine silver.

The official list also includes sprinter Jyothi Yarraji, javelin thrower Annu Rani, women’s hockey team captain Salima Tete, world champion boxers Nitu Ghangas and Saweety, veteran swimmer Sajan Prakash, Olympiad gold-winning chess player Vantika Agrawal and squash star Abhay Singh.

Among the para athletes, Paris Paralympics gold-medallists Dharambir (club throw), Navdeep Singh (javelin throw) and Nitesh Kumar (para badminton) are the prominent names in the record number of Arjuna winners.

Paris Olympics bronze-winning para-archer Rakesh Kumar, para-shooters Mona Agarwal and Rubina Francis also feature in the list among others.

The ministry also cleared three coaches for Dronacharya award in the regular category, including Olympic bronze-medallist Swapnil Kusale’s coach Deepali Deshpande.

The Dronacharya award in the lifetime category will be conferred on former India football manager Armando Colaco and badminton coach S Muralidharan.

The award is given to coaches to honour their outstanding work and for enabling athletes to achieve excellence in their chosen sport in top international competitions.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICINE: CANCER RESEARCH: President Murmu launches India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer -‘CAR-T cell therapy’

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday launched India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer at IIT Bombay.

Describing the newly-launched treatment, named “CAR-T cell therapy,” as a beacon of hope, President Murmu expressed confidence that the therapy will provide a new lease of life to countless cancer patients.

CAR-T cell therapy, considered a groundbreaking advancement in medical science, has long been available in developed nations. However, its prohibitive costs have rendered it beyond the reach of many.

President Murmu said that the therapy is not only accessible but also the world’s most affordable CAR-T cell therapy.

She applauded the collaborative efforts between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Tata Memorial Hospital, and industry partner ImmunoACT, highlighting the indigenous therapy as an example of the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE: President gives away Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2022 and 2023

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 to eminent artists in the field of performing arts, including music, dance, drama, folk and tribal arts.

Besides the Akademi Awards, the President of India also bestowed the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship to 6 eminent artists.

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship or “Akademi Ratna” is the highest honour given to eminent artists in the field of performing arts for his or her exceptional contribution to performing art form. It is restricted to 40 at any given time.

On Wednesday, folklorist from Goa Vinayak Khedekar, Veena virutoso from Karnataka R. Visweswaran, Kathak exponent Sunayana Hazarilal, famous Kuchipudi dancers Raja and Radha Reddy, theatre artists Dulal Roy and D.P. Sinha were bestowed with Akademi fellowships.

Twelve people from the field of music, and equal number from dance, 9 from the field of theatre and 11 from folk and tribal arts have received the Akademi awards for 2023.

Some notable artists include Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri Ramnath from Tamil Nadu, Neyveli Narayanan from Tamil Nadu for Carnatic Instrumental (Mridangam), Urmila Sathyanarayanan, from Tamil Nadu for Bharatanatyam and Pallavi Krishnan from Kerala for Mohiniattam.

The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952.

While the honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of ₹3,00,000, the Akademi Award carries a purse money of ₹1,00,000.

While giving away the awards, the President said that art is not just for the sake of art, it also has social purpose.

There are many such examples in history, when artists used their art for social welfare. Artists have been contributing to awakening of society through their creations. Indian art is the best example of India’s soft-power, she added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE: Ensemble of 78 Instrumentalists to Perform for World Leaders attending G20 Summit

The performance ‘Bharat Vadya Darshanam’ — Musical Journey of India — by the ‘Gaandharva Aatodyam’ group will be showcased during the ceremonial dinner that will hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.

Celebrating the rich tapestry of the country’s musical heritage, an ensemble of virtuoso instrumentalists bringing different styles of classical and contemporary music will perform for world leaders attending the G20 Summit here, according to an official brochure of the programme.

The performance ‘Bharat Vadya Darshanam’ — Musical Journey of India — by the ‘Gaandharva Aatodyam’ group will be showcased during the ceremonial dinner that will hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in the honour of G20 leaders on September 9, officials said.

It will feature Indian classical musical instruments such as santoor, sarangi, jal tarang and shehnai, among others, which have been conceptualised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, according to the brochure.

The ensemble is a “unique and groundbreaking musical presentation, a harmonious journey of Bharat through music,” reads the concept note in the brochure.

Some of the prominent styles that will be depicted include Hindustani, Carnatic folk and contemporary music, it says.

“This journey will take us through all parts of India through their representative music. Our co-traveller will be the ‘Gaandharva Aatodyam’ with an ensemble of 78 traditional instrumentalists from all over the country,” the official brochure reads.

“This pioneering programme celebrates the rich tapestry of Bharat’s musical heritage, bringing together virtuoso instrumentalists who infuse their unique styles into a mesmerising symphony of sounds. With this innovative blend, the ensemble not only showcases the cultural depth of India but also creates an auditory experience that transcends regional boundaries,” it says.

The performance will begin with compositions of Vilambit Laya (slow tempo), followed by Madhya Laya (medium fast tempo), ending with few scores in Druta Laya (fast tempo), officials said.

The ensemble includes 34 Hindustani musical instruments, 18 Carnatic musical instruments and 26 folk musical instruments from across India.

The 78 artists include 11 children, 13 women, six differently-abled (divyang) artists, 26 young men and 22 professionals, the brochure says.

“We will immerse in some of the most ancient Vedic musical instruments, tribal instruments, and folk instruments alongside classical musical instruments creating a beautiful soundscape. The participating musicians too are hailing from different regions of India, playing an array of traditional instruments in their traditional attire,” it adds.

The musicians will play instruments in traditional attires of the region they belong to, officials said, adding, that this first-of-its-kind initiative ensemble exemplifies the power of music in celebrating the country’s diverse artistic expressions in a truly aesthetic manner.

The G20 Leaders’ Summit is slated to be held at the newly-built international convention and exhibition centre — Bharat Mandapam — at Pragati Maidan from September 9-10.

The G20 dinner for the heads of state and other top leaders will be hosted at the Bharat Mandapam.

In the official invitation for the ceremonial dinner sent out by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu was addressed as the “President of Bharat”.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: TRANSPORT / GREEN: Indian Railways bags 9 (nine) ‘National Energy Conservation Awards 2022’

The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

Indian Railways has won nine National Energy Conservation Awards for the year 2022, with the South Central Railway (SCR) bagging the first and second prize in railway station category.  These awards were given for the best energy management practices and presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a function held by Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the aegis of Ministry of Power. 

According to an official statement of the Ministry of Railway, the South Central Railway bagged the first and the second awards for energy conservation measures in railway station category. The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

The certificates of merit were awarded to the Kanpur Central Railway station under the Northern Central Railway, the Rajahmundry railway station and the Tenali Railway station. Under the buildings category, Ajmer workshop of North Western Railway was awarded the first prize. Certificate of merit was awarded to the Railway hospital Guntakal  (SCR), Electric Traction Training Centre, Vijayawada (SCR) and Divisional Railway Hospital, Pratapnagar (Western Railway).

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headlines edited)