Raj Bhavan, Darbar Hall, Chennai 09.07.2010

At a well attended gathering at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, Chennai Prof. M.S. Swaminathan presented today the 13th Bhagwan Mahaveer Awards to the various entities for Excellence in Human Endeavour in the fields of Non-violence & Vegetarianism, Education & Medicine and Community & social service. The Awardees are:

AWARD B: In the field of Education & Medicine :

1. Tribal Health Initiative Sittlingi, Dharmapuri, Tamilnadu

AWARD C: In the field of Community & Social Service

i. Swami Vivekananda Integrated Rural Health Centre,Pavagada, Karnataka

ii. Sri Karni Nagar Vikas Samiti, Kota, Rajasthan

Shri Sugalchand Jain, Managing Trustee of the Foundation welcomed the gathering and Shri S. Prasanchand Jain, Trustee offered the Vote of thanks to the gathering.

The following are the salient features of the awards:

In each corner of our country, there exist selfless souls whose sole aim is to make the lives of the marginalized better. They desire neither riches nor fame. The reward they seek is a smile, a thank you or a boost in confidence from those they are working for. A smile alone can tell them that their good work has borne fruits.

The world needs to know of these dedicated humanitarians so that more and more will be willing to give of their time and resources for those in need. With the
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aim of bringing such humanitarian work to light, Shri N. Sugalchand Jain founded
the Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation in 1994, with late Sri C. Subramaniam, former Governor of Maharashtra as the Chairman. The Foundation has instituted the Mahaveer Awards to recognize public service rendered by institutions and individuals.

There are three awards for Excellence in Human Endeavour in the fields of Non- violence & Vegetarianism, Education & Medicine and Community & social service. A citation, a memento and a cash component of Rs.5 Lacs make up the Award. This is perhaps the highest amount offered by an NGO. Through relevant procedures, the Foundation had ensured that the individual awardees are exempted from Income Tax on the Award recently under 10(17-A)(i) of the Income Tax Act. The process for renewal of the same has been initiated. This enables the awardees to utilize the Award money in full for the cause that he works for.

Commencing from the Fourteenth Mahaveer Awards, the spheres of the Mahaveer Awards are broadened to four spheres of activities:-

1. Non-violence and Vegetarianism
2. Education
3. Medicine
4. Community and Social Service

The Cash component of the Mahaveer Awards is also increased to Rs. 10 Lacs (Rs. Ten Lakhs Only), a Citation and a Memento each.

Nominations are invited from around the country, enlisting the help of district administrators, legislators, bureaucrats, educationists, media, social workers and parliamentarians. The Selection Jury consisting of six members and headed by Justice Sri M N Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India evaluates the nominations to decide on the awardees.

BHAGWAN MAHAVEER FOUNDATION –THIRTEENTH MAHAVEER AWARDEES

Award for the field of Education & Medicine : Tribal Health Initiative, Dharmapuri, Tamilnadu
Tribal Health Initiative (THI) was started in Sittilingi, Dharmapuri as a small outpatient unit in a thatched hut by Dr. Regi M George and Dr. Lalitha Regi in 1992, when the Tribal people of Sittilingi had to travel 48km for hospitals. Today it runs a full-fledged 24 bed primary-care hospital and conducts education programmes and outreach clinics in the 21 villages. THI has served around 80,000 Tribal people so far. It has brought about a behavioural change in Tribal women to take medical treatment. TB & leprosy are almost hundred percent controlled in its work area. The Tribal girls are trained as health workers and as health auxiliaries to help mother feeding, basic health and to give simple treatment for minor illness. It runs “Thulir” , an educational resource centre for tribal children. It also forms farmer’s groups in the villages for their effective cultivation. THI has been awarded by Stallions International, Indian Merchants Chamber, Rotary clubs of UK etc,.

Award for the field of Community & social service : -

1) Sri Karni Nagar Vikas Samiti, Kota, Rajasthan

2) Swami Vivekananda Integrated Rural Health Centre, Pavagada, Karnataka

Sri Karni Nagar Vikas Samiti – run by Shri M. C. Bhandari and Smt. Prasanna Bhandari renders social service for more than forty years. The Samiti runs a Destitute Children’s Home and provide shelter, education, family and vocational training to its inmates, Foster Care & Adoption for infants, Short Stay Home for distressed girls & women, a family Counselling Centre, an old age home, Day care centre for elderly persons, conducts legal literacy camps for women, supports natural calamities affected areas and through Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklong Sahayata Samiti- it runs a limb/caliper fitting centre. Their services are operated in five states through regular camps. The Samithi had received many awards such as Veer Sewa Padak, Nahar Samman Puraskar, Mahila Pratibha Samman and many other awards.

Swami Vivekananda Integrated Rural Health Centre, Pavagada runs various health projects in a totally backward area for Leprosy Eradication, TB control, Reconstructive surgery, HIV projects, Blindness control, maintaining primary health centers, Pediatric Ophthalmic projects, HIV Integrated Counseling & Testing Centre, Food grains are provided for TB patients for the past two decades covering nearly 1000 villages. The Health centre has a capacity to accommodate thirty TB and Leprosy inpatients and has two operation theatres with all the facilities and Glaucoma Clinic. Medicines are provided by the institution at the patient’s door steps. Eye camps are conducted at remote villages with full fledged mobile eye care unit. The Organisation renders all the services to the community free of cost.

The Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation salutes these institutions for their services to the needy without any compensation, material or otherwise.