Union Minister Giriraj Singh Presents Handicrafts Exports Awards
The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) organised its 24th Handicrafts Export Awards Function at the Convention Hall, The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh highlighted the handicrafts sector's pivotal role in the growth of Indian economy.
Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Textiles, Govt. of India, was the Chief Guest at the function and presented the awards.
A total of 123 awards were conferred upon 62 winners of the year 2019-20 and to 61 winners of the year 2020-21, along with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. The Awards, instituted in 1989, are presented across four broad categories: the Top Export Award, Platinum Performer Certificate, Product Group-wise Awards, Woman Entrepreneur Award, Regional Awards and the together totalling to 34 Trophies, 6 Platinum Performer Certificates, 4 Hat-trick Trophy, 57 Merit Certificates, 12 Regional Award, 9 Women Entrepreneur Awards and 1 Lifetime Achievement Award."
The CEAT Cricket Rating Awards was held in Mumbai. The award function saw many star Indian cricketers win big with Rohit Sharma bagging the Men's International Cricketer of the Year whereas Virat Kohli won the ODI Batter of the Year award. Moreover, Rahul Dravid, who ended his Team India coaching run post Rohit & Co.'s T20 World Cup win in June, was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award, in Mumbai.
Among others, the likes of Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, R. Ashwin, women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma also returned with an award each.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah won an award for excellence in sports administration.
Aug 16, 2024
Seventieth National Film Awards 2024
The winners of the 70th National Film Awards were announced at the National Media Center in New Delhi, with the Malayalam film Aattam emerging as the Best Feature Film.
Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor award for Kantara, the Best Actress honour was shared by Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for The Kutch Express, respectively.
The Best Director honour went to Sooraj Barjatya for his film, Uunchai. Ponniyin Selvan I, KGF 2, Brahmastra and Aparajito were among the other films which won awards at the ceremony.
The awards were announced by the chairperson of the Feature Film Jury, Rahul Rawail; Nila Madhab Panda, chairperson of the Non-Feature Film Jury; and Gangadhar Mudalair, chairperson of the Best Writing on Cinema Jury.
National Film Awards are the most prestigious awards, which are announced annually to honour the best filmmaking talent across the country.
First handed out in 1954, these awards were known as the State Awards. In those years, only best films in different regional languages were recognised and awarded. The awards for actors and technicians working on the films were first given in 1967. Nargis was the first actress to win Best Actress for her performance in Raat Aur Din. Uttam Kumar won the Best Actor award for Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana in the same year.
Aug 14, 2024
Kenya's Rukia Bulle Wins 2024 BBC Komla Dumor Award (14)
Kenyan journalist Rukia Bulle won the 2024 BBC News Komla Dumor Award.
Bulle, who is the ninth recipient of the award and works for Kenya's Nation Media Group, specialises in human interest stories.
Bulle has also successfully built a strong following on TikTok through her relatable and informative content on the life of a journalist.
The award was created to honour Dumor, a Ghanaian journalist and presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014.
He had worked tirelessly to bring a more nuanced narrative of Africa to the world, representing a confident, savvy and entrepreneurial side.
Aug 13, 2024
Science and Technology Ministry Withdraws Support from Kalinga Prize
The Science and Technology Ministry withdrew its contribution to the prestigious UNESCO Kalinga Prize for Popularisation of Science, UNESCO's oldest award, instituted through a donation by Odisha's former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik way back in 1951. The decision to withdraw the Department of Science and Technology's annual contribution to the award was part of the decision to 'rationalise' all science awards. The government has instituted a new set of science awards, called Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, to replace all the earlier awards, including the coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards. The inaugural set of Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskars were announced in the first week of August.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, however, has protested the government's decision and written to Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh to ensure that the support is restored.
Aug 12, 2024
King Khan Receives Lifetime Award at Locarno Film Festival
Bollywood's charismatic 'King Khan', graced the 77th Locarno Film Festival with his presence, receiving a career achievement award that further gilds his storied career. Shah Rukh delivered his acceptance speech to a rapt audience of 8,000 at Locarno's famed Piazza Grande.
Festival director Giona A. Nazzaro highlighted Khan's impact, noting, "He's a great artist. He's been carrying the dreams and the hopes of so many people through his wonderful work ethic and discipline."