Kamal Bawa gets 2014 Midori Prize in Biodiversity

The founder president of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore, will receive the prize with a cash award of $100,000 during the Oct 16-17 Conference of Parties (COP-12) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in South Korea.

The prize also honours his contributions to research in ecology of tropical forests, sustainable use of tropical forests, promoting engagement of civil society in conservation efforts, and for his leadership role in setting up ATREE.

President of India to present Gandhi peace prize 2013

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will present the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2013 to Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt tomorrow (July 15, 2013) at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This annual award is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. Previous recipients of the award include Dr. Julius K. Nyerere, former President of Tanzania; Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Founder President of Sarvodaya Sharamadana Movement, Sri Lanka; Dr. Gerhard Fischer of Germany; Rama Krishna Mission; Baba Amte; Dr. Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh (jointly); Dr. John Hume, Ireland; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan; Mr. Vaclav Havel, former President of Czechoslovakia and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa. It carries a plaque, citation and an amount of Rs. one crore.

Vijay Seshadri has won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize

Indian born poet Vijay Seshadri has won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his witty and philosophical collection of poems while The Washington Post and Guardian were awarded for their reports on America's secret global surveillance programmes.


Seshadri won the Pulitzer, considered the most prestigious awards in journalism, for his work '3 Sections'

Malala Yousafzai nominated for 'Children's Nobel'

Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban, was nominated for the World Children's Prize in Sweden today for championing education rights for girls.

Army's Sikh Light Infantry bags best marching contingent award

Army's Sikh Light Infantry has been awarded the best marching contingent among the three Services at the Republic Day parade this year while the CRPF contingent bagged the honours in the paramilitary and auxiliary forces category.

Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

A former Norwegian minister nominated fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize  in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Mammen Mathew selected for prestigious journalism Lokmanya Tilak National Award

Mammen Mathew, The Chief Editor and Managing Director of Malayala Manorma , has been chosen for prestigious journalism award instituted by a trust founded by Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak on 31 December 2013. 

Current Affairs test 

Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award 2009

Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award 2009 has been conferred upon Shri S. P. Yadav, Deputy Inspector General in National Tiger Conservation Authority .  

International award for Kerala State police

The Kerala State police have been selected for the Asia-Pacific Information Security Leadership Achievements (ISLA) Award 2013 for its ‘innovative and timely initiatives in ensuring cyber security.’

British Activist Ms. Jodie Underhill Awarded for her Service towards Uttarakhand Flood Tragedy Relief

Union Minister of State for Tourism (I/C) Dr.K.Chiranjeevi, today announced Rs. 5 lakh in his personal capacity to the British activist Ms.Jodie Underhill in recognition of her yeomen service to the cause of Uttarakhand flood tragedy relief.

Basavaraj Rajguru award for Rajiv Taranath

Eminent Sarod player Rajiv Taranath of Mysore has been selected for this year’s Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru National Award, instituted by the Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru National Memorial Trust. 

Delhi state government conferred Lifetime Achievement Award-2013 to Abdul Rashid Khan and Anjolie Ela Menon.

Delhi state government conferred Lifetime Achievement Award-2013 to Abdul Rashid Khan and Anjolie Ela Menon. 

Gujar Mal Modi Award for Vinod Prakash Sharma

The Gujar Mal Modi Award for Innovative Science and Technology 2013 was awarded to renowned scientist Vinod Prakash Sharma for his achievements in malaria research, control and prevention, including other vector borne diseases.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 201,000, a scroll of honour and a silver shield. It was given away by physicist M G K Menon.

Sharma is known for his work and contribution in the field of basic and applied research of malaria and vector biology.

He is spearheading the safe water campaign of the National Academy of Sciences and his work on popularization of science, creating awareness and science education programmes of NASI are widely appreciated including in very remote areas.

Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari gets Saraswati Samman 2012

Renowned Malayalam poetess and social activist Sugathakumari was conferred with prestigious Saraswati Samman award for 2012, instituted by KK Birla Foundation. Sugathakumari was honoured for her collection of poems in Malayalam entitled Manalezhuthu (the writings on the sand) published in 2006.


Sugathakumari social and environmental activist, who has been at the forefront of environmental and feminist movements in Kerala, South India.

Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Pran

Pran has been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2012), the nation’s highest cinema honour.

Pran Krishan Sikand better known by his mononym, Pran, is a multiple Filmfare and BFJA award-winning Indian actor, known as a movie villain and character actor in Hindi cinema from the 1940s to the 1990s. He acted as a hero from 1940–47 and as a villain from 1942–1991 and played supporting and character roles from 1948–2007.

Amitabh presented NTR National Film Award

Film star Amitabh Bachchan was presented the NTR National Film Award for 2011 at a glittering by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, producer D. Rama Naidu and senior personalities of Tollywood.

The award carried Rs.5 lakh cash prize, a citation and a memento.