National Teachers Awards 2024

♦ The Ministry of Education announced the 'National Teachers Awards 2024' on 27 August 2024. A total of 50 teachers are selected from across the country. On the occasion of Teachers Day on September 5, the selected teachers will be felicitated with a certificate of merit, a Rs.50,000 cash prize and a silver medal in a ceremony to be held at Vigyan Bhawan.

♦ Two each from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been selected for National Teachers Awards 2024. Thaduri Sampath Kumar (Dammannapeta High School, Siricialla Rajjanna district), Pesara Prabhakar Reddy (Tirumalayapalem High School, Khamma district) from Telangana and M Srinivasa Rao (ASPS Municipality High School, Gudivada) and Kunati Suresh (Uranduru ZP High School, Srikalahasti Mandal, Triupati district) from Andhra Pradesh are among the 50 teachers.
 

24th International Mother Teresa Awards

♦ The 24th International Mother Teresa Awards Ceremony took place on 26 August 2024 at the Millennium Plaza Dubai, commemorating the 114th birth anniversary of the revered humanitarian. This event was organized by the All-India Minority and Weaker Sections Council, was held outside India for only the second time, with both international ceremonies having taken place in Dubai.

♦ Notable recipients included the late João Bernardo Vieira II, from Guinea-Bissau , Sidharth Srivastava and Namit Bajoria from the industry sector, and Mohammed Mahtabur Rahman, Chairman of NRB Bank Limited. The arts were represented by Irka Bochenko, while education saw MP Rozario honored, among others.  

♦ Social work awards went to Murli Panjabi and Sureandar Singh Khandari from the UAE.  

♦ Ahmed al Hashemi receiving an award as a promising musician and child prodigy.

♦ Mother Teresa, born on August 26, 1910, and later beatified as Saint Teresa, founded the Missionaries of Charity.

♦ The awards, established after Mother Teresa’s passing in 1997, recognized exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields including education, science, culture, sports, social work, medicine, industry, and politics in India.
 

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024

♦ President Droupadi Murmu conferred Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024 to renowned and distinguished scientists at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22 August 2024. In the first edition of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, 33 awards were presented in four categories - Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva, and Vigyan Team. 

♦ Prof. Govindarajan Padmanabhan, a pioneer in molecular biology and biotechnology research in India, has received the Vigyan Ratna Award. This award is bestowed upon scientists who have made lifetime contributions to any field of Science and Technology.

♦ The Vigyan Shri Awards, given to scientists with distinguished contributions to Science and Technology, were presented to 13 scientists for their path-breaking research in their respective domains.

♦ The Vigyan Yuva-SSB Award, which recognizes scientists who have made exceptional contributions to any field of science and technology, was given to 18 scientists for their significant contributions in areas ranging from the study of Indian Ocean warming and its consequences to the development of indigenous 5G base stations and communication and precision tests of quantum mechanics.

♦ The Vigyan Team Award, given to a team of three or more scientists for making groundbreaking research contributions in any field of science and technology, was awarded to the Chandrayaan-3 team for the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 lander near the south pole of the moon.
 

National Geoscience Awards

♦ The President of India, Droupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious National Geoscience Awards (NGA) for the year 2023 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi on 20 August 2024. A total of 12 awards to 21 Geoscientists, including academicians and professionals from across the country, were honoured under three categories: National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement (01 award), National Geoscience Award (10 awards) and National Young Geoscientist Award (01 award) in various specialized fields of geosciences.

♦ The National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement was bestowed upon Prof. Dhiraj Mohan Banerjee, Emeritus Scientist at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), recognized for his distinguished and pioneering work on phosphorites, isotope geology, and organic geochemistry of Precambrian sedimentary rocks of India. 

♦ Under the National Geoscience Award category, a total of 10 awards including 3 teams were conferred in various fields of geosciences. Dr. Ashutosh Pandey, Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram, received the National Young Geoscientist Award. Dr. Pandey was honored for his groundbreaking research and significant insights into the geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Dharwar Craton and suggesting an alternative model for the origin of Paleoproterozoic Lesser Himalayan mafic rocks.
 

Marshall Innovation Awards

♦ Indian origin space scientist Singam Srikanth Panini was chosen for ‘Marshall Innovation Awards’ by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Panini has been involved in NASA’s research for several years. The awards, presented in Huntsville, Alabama, honor outstanding NASA contributions. 

♦ Srikanth was recognized for creative work in the Astrophysics branch, exemplifying innovative accomplishments and efforts among numerous MSFC entries.
 

70th National Film Awards

The 70th National Film Awards were announced on 16 August 2024. Films certified in 2022 were eligible for the awards. Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor award for his performance in the ‘Kantara’. The Best Actress Award was a tie between Nithya Menen for Thiruchitrambalam and Manasi Parekh for Kutch Express. Sooraj Bharjatya won Best Director for Uunchaai.

Winners list: 

Best Film: Aattam (Malayalam)

Best Debut Film: Fouja (Haryanvi)

Best Film providing wholesome entertainment: Kantara (Kannada)

Best Feature Film promoting national, social, and environmental values: Kutch Express (Gujarati)

Best Film in AVGC: Brahmastra Part 1 (Hindi)

Best Director: Sooraj Barjatya - Uunchai (Hindi)

Best Actor in Leading Role: Nithya Menen - Thiruchitrambalam (Tamil), Manasi Parekh - Kutch Express (Gujarati), Rishab Shetty - Kantara (Kannada)

Best Actor in Supporting Role: Neena Gupta - Uunchai (Hindi), Pavan Raj Malhotra - Fouja (Gujarati)

Best Child Artiste: Sreepath - Malikappuram (Malayalam)

Best Action Direction: Anbariv - KGF Chapter 2 (Kannada)

Best Choreography: Jani Master, Sathish Krishnan - Thiruchitrambalam (Megham Karukatha) (Tamil)

Best Lyrics: Naushad Sadar Khan - Fouja (Salaami) (Gujarati)

Best Music Direction: Pritham (songs) - Brahmastra Part 1 (Hindi), AR Rahman (background music) - Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 (Tamil)

Best Makeup: Somnath Kundu - Aparajito (Bengali)

Best Costume Design: Niki Joshi - Kutch Express (Gujarati)

Best Production Design: Ananda Addhya - Aparajito (Bengali)

Best Editing: Mahesh Bhuvanend - Aattam (Malayalam)

Best Sound Design: Anand Krishnamoorthi - Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 (Tamil)

Best Screenplay: Anand Ekarshi (screenplay writer) - Aattam (Malayalam), Arpita Mukherjee and Rahul V Chittella (dialogues) - Gulmohar (Hindi)

Best Cinematography: Ravi Varman - Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 (Tamil)

Best Playback Singer: Bombay Jayshree - Saudi Vellakka CC 225/2009 (Chaayum Veyil) (Malayalam), Arijit Singh - Brahmastra Part 1 (Kesariya) (Hindi)

Best Tiwa Film: Sikaisal

Best Telugu Film: Karthikeya 2

Best Tamil Film: Ponniyin Selvan Part 1

Best Punjabi Film: Baghi Di Dhee

Best Odia Film: Daman

Best Malayalam Film: Saudi Vellakka CC 225/2009

Best Marathi Film: Vaalvi

Best Kannada Film: KGF Chapter 2

Best Hindi Film: Gulmohar

Best Bengali Film: Kaberi Antardhan

Best Assamese Film: Emuthi Puthi Manoj Bajpayee (actor) - Gulmohar (Hindi) Sanjay Salil Chowdhury (music director) - Kadhikan (Malayalam)

Best Non-Feature Film: Ayena

Best Debut Film: Madhyantara

Best Biographical/Historical/Compilation Film: Aanakhi Ek Mohenjo Daro

Best Arts/Culture Film: Ranga Vibhoga/Varsa

Best Script: Mono No Aware

Best Narrator: Murmurs of the Jungle

Best Music Direction: Fursat

Best Editing: Madhyantara

Best Sound Design: Yaan

Best Cinematography: Mono No Aware

Best Direction: From the Shadow

Best Short Film: Xunyota

Best Animated Film: The Coconut Tree

Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values: On the Brink Season 2 – Gharial

Best Documentary: Murmurs of the Jungle

Best Critic: Deepak Dua

Best Book on Cinema: Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography
 

Pardo alla Carriera award

Actor Shah Rukh Khan received the prestigious Pardo alla Carriera award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. He has been honoured with this award for his significant contributions to Indian cinema. He is the first Indian personality to be felicitated with the honour. The actor was presented with the award at the jam-packed Piazza Grande square. 

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar

♦ The Union Government has announced the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, one of the highest recognitions in the fields of science, technology, and innovation in India. The objective of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar is to recognize the notable and inspiring contributions made by scientists, technologists, and innovators, either individually or in teams, across various fields of science, technology, and technology-led innovation.

♦ Bio-Chemist Govindarajan Padmanabhan was selected for India's first Vigyan Ratna award, the top most science award instituted by the government in 2024.
Padmanabhan has also received Padma Bhushan in 2003 and Padma Shri in 1991.

♦ The government revealed the recipients of the 33 Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskars. This year's awards include 18 Vigyan Yuva Puraskars for young scientists, 13 Vigyan Shri Puraskars, and a special Vigyan Team award presented to Team Chandrayaan-3. President Droupadi Murmu is set to present the awards on August 23, National Space Day.

The Vigyan Shri awardees are:

♦ Astrophysicist: Annapurini Subramanian

♦ Agriculture Scientist: Anandharamakrishnan C

♦ Atomic Energy: Avesh Kumar Tyagi

♦ Biological Sciences: Prof. Umesh Varshney and Prof. Jayant Bhalchandra Udgaonkar

♦ Earth Sciences: Prof. Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi

♦ Engineering Sciences: Prof. Bhim Singh

♦ Mathematics and Computer Science: Prof. Adimurthi Adi and Prof. Rahul Mukherjee

♦ Medicine: Prof. Dr. Sanjay Behari

♦ Physics: Prof. Lakshmanan Muthusamy and Prof. Naba Kumar Mondal

♦ Technology and Innovation: Prof. Rohit Srivastava

The Vigyan Yuva awardees are:

♦ Agricultural Science: Krishna Murthy S L and Swarup Kumar Parida

♦ Biological Sciences: Radhakrishnan Mahalakshmi and Prof. Aravind Penmatsa

♦ Chemistry: Vivek Polshettiwar and Vishal Rai

♦ Earth Sciences: Roxy Mathew Koll

♦ Engineering Sciences: Abhilash and Radha Krishna Ganti

♦ Environmental Science: Purabi Saikia and Bappi Paul

♦ Mathematics and Computer Science: Mahesh Ramesh Kakde

♦ Medicine: Jitendra Kumar Sahu and Pragya Dhruv Yadav

♦ Physics: Urbasi Sinha

♦ Space Science and Technology: Digendranath Swain and Prashant Kumar

♦ Technology and Innovation: Prabhu Rajagopal
 

The countrys highest civilian award

♦ President Droupadi Murmu was conferred with ‘The Order of Fiji’, the country’s highest civilian award on 6 August 2024. This was presented by Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere.

♦ The award was presented during President Murmu’s three-day state visit to Fiji, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to the South Pacific nation.
 

World Craft City

♦ Kashmir City was awarded the prestigious Certificate of World Craft City by the World Crafts Council International. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha received this award from Sa’ad Hani Al-Qaddumi, President of the World Crafts Council.

♦ Srinagar is the 4th city in India to receive the prestigious title of ‘World Craft City’. Jaipur in Rajasthan, Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu, and Mysore in Karnataka are the other cities to receive this award.