1. Tamil Nadu`s Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple wins UNESCO award.
Following the massive renovation and restoration work which was carried out at the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, the sacred shrine temple has won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation.
It has become the first temple in Tamil Nadu to be given the prestigious award from the UN body. The Times of India reported that the use of traditional methods in renovating temple structures and re-establishment of rainwater harvesting and historic drainage system, to augment water and prevent flooding, were the main reasons for the temple to achieve the award.
The temple is situated on an islet between Cauvery and Kollidam rivers. It has seven prakaras and 21 towers, including the 236-feet-high rajagopuram. According to reports, the renovation of the temple started in June 2014 and the project was carried out in several phases. The renovation costed about Rs. 25 crore, and was done with the help of government and donors.
P Jayaraman, joint commissioner of the temple told The Hindu that 60,000 tonnes of construction waste/debris were removed during the renovation. The hundred-pillar and thousand-pillar mandapams and various other mandapams, have been restored. Moreover, many sculptures in the numerous sub-shrines were also restored.
2. Apollo Munich Health Insurance Wins General Insurance Company of the Year. 
Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company, a joint venture between integrated healthcare provider, Apollo Hospitals Group, and the Munich Re Group was conferred with the 21st Asia Insurance Industry Awards in the "General Insurance Company of the Year" category.
The award recognises Apollo Munich`s contribution in demonstrating market leadership during the qualifying period via innovation in products, services, practices, responsiveness to end-users and intermediaries, initiatives in boosting the image of insurance in society, narrowing the protection gap, and showcasing exceptional business growth through professionalism and sound management.
"We are extremely delighted and humbled to be the first standalone health insurer in Asia-Pacific region to win General Insurance Company of the Year at AIIA. Ever since our journey started 10 years ago, we have been living our purpose of `Making India Health Confident`. We do so not only by bringing world class healthcare within the reach of every individual by providing innovative solutions to the citizens of India, but also by partnering with our customers in leading healthier lives," said Antony Jacob, CEO, Apollo Munich Health Insurance.
3. Indian Short Film The School Bag Wins Award in Montreal.
Indian short film ‘The School Bag’, which tells a story based in Pakistan, has won the Best Short Film Award at the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFFM), says director Dheeraj Jindal.
“While making the film, each member of the team literally put their heart and soul and we didn’t know what would happen to the film. For many people, I included, it was the first experience working on a short film. So it’s a great feeling when your debut work gets international recognition,” Jindal told IANS.
SAFFM concluded on Sunday.
The movie’s plot is based in Peshawar and tells a story about the relationship between a mother and her seven-year-old son who wants a new school bag on his birthday, but fate has something else in store for him.
The film recreates events that happened in Peshawar in December 2014 when terrorists mowed down hundreds of schoolchildren. Actress Rasika Dugal plays the mother in the short film.
Jindal, who is from Delhi, is happy that short films are getting visibility.
4. UNHCR to get Mother Teresa Award 2017 for social justice.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been named as the recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, 2017 as an acknowledgement of its exceptional work worldwide, it was announced here on Thursday.
The UNHCR provides humanitarian aid to innumerable people internally displaced by conflicts and helping stateless people all over the world, said Harmony Foundation Chairman Abraham Mathai, which has instituted the only official award in memory of Mother Teresa, who attained sainthood in September 2016.
"The UNHCR has and continues to showcase to the world the true essence of humanitarianism through the life-changing works it does globally. We salute its committed, compassionate and courageous humanitarian work in dangerous and challenging regions of the world," Mathai told IANS.
Referring to Harmony Foundation`s theme for 2017 - Compassion Beyond Borders, he said UNHCR epitomizes the theme so beautifully with the sheer bravery of its workers and volunteers who tirelessly work in crisis areas globally.
Instituted in 2005, the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice will be presented to the UNHCR at a function here on December 10, celebrating the unique legacy and global imprint of the woman known as the Saint of The Gutters during her lifetime, said Mathai.
As part of the awards ceremony, a Harmony International Conference to create awareness and action in the international community will be organized that day, with the participation of leaders from different fields.
Some of the past awardees include The Dalai Lama, Malala Yousefzai, Medicine Sans Frontiers, Anna Hazare, Colin Gonsalves, among many other individuals and organisations working in different fields in India and globally, said Mathai.
16. The 2nd edition of National Entrepreneurship Awards hosted by MSDE.
Embarking on an ambitious mission to empower Indian youth with skill training and employability, the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)today hosted the National Entrepreneurship Awards 2017 marking the completion of three glorious years of its inception today. The awards were conferred in the august presence of Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Ambassador of Japan to India Shri Kenji Hiramatsu, Secretary MSDE Dr K.P Krishnan and Managing Director & CEO, ICICI Bank Ltd Ms Chanda Kochhar.
Congratulating all the entrepreneurs recognized by MSDE this year and highlighting the challenges of limited job creation capacity, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley said, “India has a much younger population versus other advance economies. This is a huge opportunity for us to scale up and skill our workforce and reap our demographic dividend and service economies. Conventionally our focus was on awarding degrees with always a debate on how we link them to jobs. Over a period of time we have realised that we need to skill our youth for these jobs.”
He further added “Conventionally people were skilled according to their communities but as economies develop and there is advent of technology, we need to realize the importance of reskilling and upskilling, to bridge the demand supply gap. As the economy expands, a specialized skilled workforce is the need to the hour. “