2019 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

AUGUST 2019:
Indian journalist Ravish Kumar, NDTV India’s senior executive
editor, has been awarded the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay
Award, for harnessing journalism to give voice to the
voiceless.

Ramon Magsaysay award is popularly known as Asia’s Nobel Prize.

Criteria: It is given to individuals and organizations in Asia
regardless of race, creed, sex, or nationality, who have achieved
distinction in their respective fields. (There are some instances
where the winners came from Non-Asian countries, but
accomplished something in Asia).

Name: It is named after Ramon Magsaysay, the third president

(1953-57) of Philippines.

Background: It was established in 1957 by New York

based Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), with the consent of
Philippine government. The first Awards were given in 1958. Vinoba
Bhave of India was one of the recipients.
Awardees are presented with a certificate and a medal.

Important Info :
Ramon Magsaysay Award 2019?
 The 6 winners of this year's award include India’s Ravish
Kumar, Myanmar’s Ko Swe Win, Thailand’s Angkhana
Neelapajit, Philippines’ Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab and South
Korea’s Kim Jong-Ki.
  The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Manila in
September 2019.
Aug 9
BHARAT RATNA
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, presented Bharat Ratna
Awards to Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumously), Bhupendra Kumar
Hazarika (posthumously) and Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

About:
 The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the
Republic of India. Bharat Ratna recipients rank
seventh in the Indian order of precedence.
 Instituted in: 1954.
 Criteria: The award is conferred in recognition of
exceptional service/performance of the highest
order in "any field of human endeavour". The award
was originally limited to achievements in the arts,
literature, science, and public services, but this was
changed in 2011.
 Eligibility:
o The award is conferred without distinction of
race, occupation, position, or sex.
o Though usually conferred on India-born
citizens, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded
 to one naturalised citizen, Mother Teresa, and
to two non-Indians, Pakistan national Khan
Abdul Ghaffar Khan and former South African
President Nelson Mandela.
o The original statutes did not provide for
posthumous awards but were amended in 1955
to permit them.
 Award Process: There is no formal nomination
process. The recommendations for the award can
only be made by the Prime Minister to the President.
 Limits: A maximum of three nominees can be
awarded per year.
 Recipients: The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna
were C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,
and C. V. Raman, who were honoured in 1954.
Medal:
 Recipients receive a certificate signed by the
President and a medal. There is no monetary grant
associated with the award.
 The medal is in the shape of a peepal leaf rimmed in
platinum. The sun burst design with rays spreading
out, made of platinum, is embossed on the obverse
side of the medal.
  The words "Bharat Ratna", in Devanagari Script, is
inscribed on the obverse side.
 A State Emblem of India Is placed in the centre of
the reverse side with the national motto, "Satyamev
Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs) in Devanagari Script.
Important Info :
Recent winners:
 Pranab Mukherjee: He was the 13th President of
India and served from 2012 until 2017. He was also
finance minister under the prime ministership of
Manmohan Singh.
 Nanaji Deshmukh: He had been a member of
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He is credited
with bolstering the Jana Sangh in Uttar Pradesh. As a
social activist, he laid emphasis on education. He
established first Saraswati Shishu Mandir at
Gorakhpur in 1950.
 Bhupen Hazarika: He was a legendary singer-
composer from Assam who died in 2011.
66th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS
66th National Film Awards for 2018 have been
announced.
National Film Awards: Key Facts
 Established in: 1954
 Awarded for: Excellence in cinematic achievements
for Indian cinema.
 Bodies involved:
o Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), a body under
the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
administers the award.
o The selections of awards are made by an
independent and impartial jury consisting of
eminent filmmakers and film personalities,
which is appointed by the DFF.
o Every year, the award ceremony is held in New
Delhi, where the President of India presents the
awards.
 Criteria and Procedure:
o The makers of a film, and particularly the
director, should be Indian nationals.
 o Films entering the competition should be
produced in India, and in case of co-production
involving a foreign entity, they have to fulfil
certain conditions to qualify.
o It is Declared for films produced in the previous
year across the country i.e. a film should be
certified by the Central Board of Film
Certification (CBFC) between 1 January and 31
December.
 Categories: The National Film Awards are presented
in two main categories: Feature Films and Non-
Feature Films.
 Dadasaheb Phalke award: A lifetime achievement
award, named after the father of Indian cinema
Dadasaheb Phalke, is awarded to a film personality
for the outstanding contribution to the Indian
Cinema.

 Cash prize: All the award winners are awarded with

a Medallion, cash prize and a certificate of merit.
Important Info :
Winners:
 Best Feature Film Award: Gujarati film Hellaro.
 Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome
Entertainment: Badhaai Ho.
 Best Film on Social Issues: Hindi movie Padman.
 Best Director Award: Aditya Dhar for Uri: The
Surgical Strike
 Best Actor Award: Jointly awarded to Ayushman
Khurana and Vicky Kaushal for their performances in
Andhadhun and Uri: The Surgical Strike respectively.
 Best Actress award: Keerthy Suresh for her
performance in Telugu movie Mahanati.
 Best Film on Environment Conservation/
Preservation: Marathi movie Paani.
 Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on
National Integration: Kannada film Ondalla Eradalla.
 Most Film Friendly State: Uttarakhand.