National Energy Leader Award

♦ Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has once again bagged the prestigious National Energy Leader Award from the Confederation of Indian Industry – Green Business Centre (CII-GBC). This is the sixth consecutive year that RINL has received this accolade, underlining the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainable energy practices.

♦ RINL has also achieved the “Excellent Energy Efficient Unit Award for an impressive eighth consecutive year.”
 

Prasanthi Ram

♦ An Indian-origin lecturer Prasanthi Ram has won the Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction for her short story – ‘Nine Yard Sarees’. This was her debut work which was published in 2023. She is a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The short story cycle is about generations of a Tamil Brahmin family dispersed across Singapore, Sydney, New York and Connecticut.

♦ The prize for best English creative non-fiction went to Indian-origin artist Shubigi Rao, whose ‘Pulp III: An Intimate Inventory Of The Banished Book’ (2022) was the third instalment of her decade-long project on banished books.

♦ The best English debut prize went to 91-year-old National University of Singapore Professor Emeritus Peter Ellinger, whose win for Down Memory Lane: Peter Ellinger’s Memoirs (2023) made him the oldest winner of the Singapore Literature Prize.

♦ A total of 17 writers, translators and comic artists were awarded the Singapore Literature Prize, given out by the Singapore Book Council across four languages.

♦ The Tamil section winners are Poetry: Yaamakkodangi (2023) by Mathikumar Thayumanavan, Fiction: Cheenalakshumi (2022) by Kanagalatha K, Creative Non-fiction: Appan (2023) by Azhagunila, and Best Debut: Kaatralalyll (2023) by Tamilselvi Rajarajan. 

♦ The Singapore Literature Prize is a biennial award in Singapore recognise outstanding published works by Singaporean authors in any of the four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The competition is organized by the Singapore Book Council (SBC) with the support of the National Art Council.
 

National Teachers Award 2024

♦ President of India Draupadi Murmu confered the National Teachers’ Award 2024 to 82 selected Awardees at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 5 September 2024. The purpose of the National Teachers’ Award is to celebrate the unique contribution of teachers in the country and to honour those teachers who, through their commitment and dedication, have not only improved the quality of education but also enriched the lives of their students.

♦ Each award carries a certificate of merit, a cash award of Rs.50,000 and a silver medal. 

♦ The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, has selected 50 teachers for this year’s National Teachers’ Awards. 

♦ The 50 selected teachers are from 28 States, 3 UTs and 6 Organizations. Out of 50 selected teachers, 34 are males, 16 are female, 2 are differently abled and 1 working with CWSN. In addition, 16 teachers from the Department of Higher Education and 16 teachers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will also be awarded.

Ramon Magsaysay Award

♦ Film director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki was honoured with 2024's prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. This is often referred to as Asia's Nobel Prize. 

♦ The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said, he is known for his works such as 'Princess Mononoke', 'Spirited Away' and 'The Boy And The Heron'. Mr Miyazaki "tackles complicated issues, using art to make them comprehensible to children". 

♦ The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in 1957. It was created to commemorate Ramon Magsaysay, the third president of the Philippines, who was known for his integrity in governance and public service.

♦ The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, based in Manila, Philippines, carefully selects recipients who have made significant contributions to Asian society. The award recognizes individuals and organizations whose work has had a transformative impact on their communities and beyond.