Eminent Hindi authors Amar Kant and Shrilal Shukla was chosen for India`s highest literary honour Jnanpith Award for 2009, while renowned Kannada litterateur Chandrasekhar Kambar won it for 2010. Octogenarian Amar Kant is a leading author whose famous novel Inhin Hathiyaron Se earned him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2007. Shukla is an eminent novelist and a satirist, whose works threw light on the falling moral values of the Indian society in the post-Independence era. His noted works include Raag Darbari, Makaan. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian literature and culture.Chandrasekhar Kambar who won the Jnanpith Award for is a novelist and playwright. His noted works include Takararinavaru, Saavirada Neralu. He is also recipient of the Sangeet Nataka Academy Award and the Sahitya Academy Award.
ONGC, Coal India (CIL) and NMDC were awarded by the government for best performance in different categories on 20 September. The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) Secretary, Bhaskar Chatterjee gave away the awards. Best financial performance award in Maharatna and Navaratna category was given to ONGC. In Miniratna category, the best financial performance award award has been given to Goa Shipyard. Good Corporate Governance award in Maharatna and Navaratna category was also given to ONGC. The company of the year award in Maharatna category was given to CIL. The same awards for the Navaratna category were given to NMDC and Oil India.
The 44th Jnanpith Award for 2008 was presented to renowned Urdu poet Professor Akhlaq Mohammad Khan Shahryar for his distinguished contribution in enriching Indian literature. He was presented the award by actor Amitabh Bachhan in a glittering ceremony organised by the Bharatiya Jnanpith in New Delhi on 18 September 2011.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on 28 September 2011 conferred the Rajiv Gandhi International Prize for Technology in Education and Development on the Azim Premji Foundation. The award instituted by the university in its silver jubilee year was presented to Azim Premji by Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal. According to IGNOU, the award comprising of Rs. five lakh cash and a citation is given to individual or institution that contributed significantly in education, particularly educational technology, for development in developing countries across the world.
Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was honoured with the first Hridaynath award for her contribution to Indian music on 28 September 2011. She was presented a cheque of Rs one lakh, a trophy by Amitabh Bachchan. The award has been instituted by Hridayesh Art, a Mumbai- based socio-cultural organisation in honour of Lata Mangeshkar’s brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on 26 September 2011 honoured 11 scientists with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for the year 2011. Dr Samir K Brahamachari, Director General, Council of Scientific Research and Industrial development announced the names of scientists at the celebration of CSIR foundation Day. The list of the awardees in the different categories are as follows:
Biological Sciences-Dr Amit Prakash Sharma (International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi)Dr Rajan Sankaranarayanan (CSIR Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad).
Chemical Sciences-Dr Balasubramanian Sundaram (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore)Dr Garikapati Narahari Sastry (CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad are some of them.
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology was first given in 1958. It is regarded as the country`s highest award in science is named after the founder director of CSIR, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. It is given to a scientist up to 45 years of age and carries a prize of Rs 5 lakh.
Three distinguished Indian Americans, 2 inventors and a researcher were named by US President Barack Obama on 27 September 2011 as recipients of National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation. New York University’s Srinivasa SR Vardhan, Purdue University’s Rakesh Agarwal, and North Carolina State University’s B Jayant Baliga were the three Indians selected dozen to receive the National Medal of Science, and for Technology and Innovation, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers as well as inventors.
China has conferred its highest literary award on Prof. B R Deepak for his book, which is a translation of 88 classical Chinese poems into Hindi. Deepak, who is from Centre of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, JNU, was the first Indian to receive the "Special Book Award" for his contribution to Chinese studies, translation, publication of Chinese books and cultural exchange.
Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award for the year, 2010 was announced. The winners of this prestagious award are Mira Kagti (Assam), Dr. S.A. Thasleem Sulthana (Andhara Pradesh) and for Dr.Mallika Nadda (Himachal Pradesh). Mira Kagti established Shishu Sarothi in 1987 for providing education, rehabilitation and training services to the children suffering from Cerebral Palsy and persons with disability. Dr. S.A. Thasleem Sulthana renders service to the orphaned and mentally handicapped children and works for the welfare; rehabilitation of mentally retarded, hearing impaired, visually challenged and physically challenged children. Dr.Mallika Nadda is a leading social activist in Himachal Pradesh. She founded Chetna, at Bilaspur a civil society initiative with a vision to integrate physically and mentally challenged children. She provides voluntary services and, material in kind, equipments, surgery intervention support, clothing etc. to the children.
Six novels, five collections of short stories, seven books of poetry and one book of folk tales and plays in 24 Indian languages were selected for the 2011 Kendra Sahitya Akademi Awards for Children`s Literature. Five writers have been chosen for the Akademi`s Bala Sahitya Puraskar for lifetime contribution to children`s literature: Sailen Ghosh (Bengali), Shyam Dutt Parag (Dogri), Ramesh Parekh (Gujarati), Harikrishna Devsare (Hindi) and Maheswar Mohanty (Oriya).some of the short-story writers selected are Maheswar Narzary (Bodo), Mayanath Jha (Maithili), Dileep Prabhavalkar (Marathi), Harish B. Sharma (Rajasthani) and M. Bhoopal Reddy (Telugu).Bandita Phukan (Assamese), Siddhartha Sarma (English), Hundraj Balwani (Sindhi), N. D`souza (Kannada), Gajanan Jog (Konkani) and K. Pappootty (Malayalam) were the novelists selected for the award. Shantibala Devi (Manipuri) was chosen for her book of folk tales and plays.The awards comprise a prize purse of Rs. 50000 and a copper plaque.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has announced the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for the year 2010 to recognize the achievements of persons in the fields of Adventure. The following four persons have been selected for the Adventure Awards for the year 2010:-
Ms. Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu - Land Adventure, the first Indian woment to ski 900 Kms. From coast of Antarctica to the South Pole.
Ms. Mamta Sodha - Land Adventure, scaled Mount Everst in 2010, she has scaled island Peak, 20589 fts., Shri Kanth Peak 20422 fts, Mun Peak 16000 fts, Phawara Rang Peak 21441 fts. She has also climbed Mount Everest- Eco Expedition- 29038 fts, Nepal.
Shri Dilip Donde - Water Adventure, sailed Solo on INSV Mhadei undertaking Solo Circumnavigation of the earth round the “Three Great Capes” in 273 days
Late Col. Balwant Singh Sandhu - Life Time Achievement (Posthumously)