1)Jeje Lalpekhlua named Indian Player of the Year.
- Professional football club Mohun Bagan and India striker Jeje Lalpekhlua won the Football Players’ Association of India (FPAI) Indian Player of the Year award at its annual awards function held in Mumbai.
- The 25-year old played a crucial role in India`s victory in the SAFF Cup and Jeje scored thrice during India`s SAFF Cup campaign.
- Lalpekhlua received the highest number of votes from fellow professional footballers to finish on top in the shortlist.
- The Manipur-born Udanta Singh of I-League champion Bengaluru FC bagged the Young Player of the Year award. Bengaluru FC’s coach Ashley Westwood won the Coach of the Year award.
- Debjit Majumder was named the Fans’ Player of the Year.
2) Nandu Natekar first non-cricketer added to CCI`s Legends Club.
- Nandu Natekar is a former Indian badminton national champion has been inducted into the Legends Club, founded by the late Cricket Club of India president Raj Singh Dungarpur, as the first non-cricketer, along with 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev.
- The Legends Club celebrates the birthdays of Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
- The Legends Club will also celebrate the birthdays of Nandu Natekar - on May 12 and Kapil Dev - on January 6, 2017.
About Nandu Natekar:
- Natekar has won over 100 national and international titles for India in a career spanning 15 years.
- Natekar was the first Indian to win a title abroad; in 1956 Natekar is a director of Natekar Sports and Fitness (NSF).
- He won the Men`s Doubles National Championship a total of six times.
- Men`s Singles National Championship a total of six times and Mixed Doubles National Championship a total of five times.
- Recipient of the first Arjuna Award instituted in 1961.
3) IIT Scholar Wins International Award On Plant Nutrition.
- A food engineering research scholar from IIT Kharagpur has won the prestigious 2016 International Plant Nutrition Scholar Award (IPNSA).
- The award was given by the US-based International Plant Nutrition Institute to K. Ashok Kumar, research scholar at the department of agricultural and food engineering, IIT Kharagpur.
- He was bestowed with this award for his research on nutrition management of rice-chickpea production system in laterite soil.
- His research will help the application of organic fertiliser in right amount and timing to the rice crop which will in turn help to increase the yield by 10 per cent as compared to use of conventional synthetic fertilisers.
- His research also highlights the organic fertilser application to improve the nutritional and cooking quality of rice grain and chemical and biological properties of the acid lateritic soil.
- The award is given by the US-based International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI). The award carries a cash prize of US 2,000 dollars and a recognition certificate.
4) Two Indian scholars get highest Mongolian honour.
- Mongolia has conferred its highest civilian award ``North Star`` on two noted Indian scholars Lokesh Chandra and Mansura Haider for their contribution to Mongolian studies.
- It was presented by the Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren.
- Lokesh Chandra is the President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Mansura Haider is a former Dean of Aligarh Muslim University`s history department.
- The 60th Anniversary of Indo-Mongolian diplomatic relations, the award has been presented to two Indian scholars for their outstanding contributions to the development of friendly relations between India and Mongolia and promotion of Mongolian studies.
5) Indian Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik wins gold medal at Moscow championship.
- Renowned artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the gold medal at ninth Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship "The magical world of sand" 2016.
- Pattnaik won the competition for his 15 feet high art work "Mahatma Gandhi`s sculpture for non-violence and peace".
- Twenty top sculptors from across the world displayed their sculptures.
About Sudarsan Pattnaik:
- Pattnaik started sculpting images on sand since the age of seven and has designed hundreds of sand art.
- He has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards for the country.
- He was the brand ambassador of NALCO, India.
- He established ``The Golden Sand Art Institute`` which is first of its nature in India. His sculptures include environmental crisis, famous festivals, national integrity.
6) Pakistani activist Tabassum Adnan receives Nelson Mandela award.
- Tabassum Adnan, a womens rights activist from Pakistans troubled Swat valley has won the prestigious Nelson Mandela award
- She won the award for the individual activist category on the concluding day of the International Civil Society Week (ICSW) held in Bogota, Colombia.
- Tabassum Adnan becomes the second woman from Pakistan’s Swat valley to win this international recognition after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
About Tabassum Adnan:
- Tabassum Adnan was a victim of child marriage and was married at the age of 13.
- The marriage was marked by frequent domestic abuse and ended after 20 years when she gathered the courage to divorce her abusive husband.
- Later she launched NGO Khwendo Jirga (Sister’s Council), a women-only Jirga where women meet weekly to discuss issues such as honour killings, swara and acid attacks the practice of giving women as compensation for crimes.
- She was awarded 2015 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award in recognition of her untiring efforts and services for women’s rights.
7) N.K. Singh Gets Japan`s Prestigious National Award.
- Former bureaucrat and parliamentarian Nand Kishore Singh has been selected for prestigious ‘Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver’, Japan’s highest civilian award.
- Singh had served in Japan during the investment decision of Maruti-Suzuki and subsequent forays of the Japanese automobile companies into India.
- He was chosen for this prestigious award for promoting economic, educational and cultural ties between India and Japan.
About N.K. Singh:
- N.K. Singh is a politician, economist and former Indian Administrative Service officer (IAS) from Bihar cadre.
- He had served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (2008-2014) from Bihar.
- As a bureaucrat, he had served as Member Planning Commission and handled assignments of Union Expenditure and Revenue Secretary and Additional Secretary Economic Affairs.