The National Aluminium Company limited (Nalco) has announced a list of awardees for “Nalco Smiles Award”, “Nalco Kharavela Awards” and Nalco Kalidas Awards for the year 2016.
This is for the first time the aluminium major has instituted such awards. Besides cash awards, the winners shall be honoured with citations and scrolls of honour.
The Nalco Smiles Award shall be conferred on founder of Swabhiman Dr Sruti Mohapatra for her outstanding contributions towards rehabilitation of differently-abled children. She shall receive a purse of `1 lakh.
The Nalco Kharavela Award for Odishi exponent and guru par excellence shall be received by Padma Shri Dr Ileana Citaristi for her significant contributions in promoting Odishi dance. This award also carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh.
The Nalco Kharavela Award for significant achievements in Odishi dance both in India and abroad shall be handed over to Saswat Ranjan Joshi. He will receive a cash prize of `50,000.
The three awards will be given away during the 36th foundation day celebrations of Nalco on January 7 in Bhubaneswar by Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar in presence of Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram and Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and several Odisha MPs.
Besides, two more awards shall be given away on the preceding day. Prof Harekrishna Satapathy, VC, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, and Prof Gangadhar Panda, VC, Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Puri, have been selected for the Nalco Kalidas Awards for their significant contributions in the field of teaching and propagating Sanskrit. The awards carry a sum of `50,000 each.
Both of them shall receive the awards during the 15th edition of the Nalco Foundation Day lecture Series on January 6. Central Vigilance Commissioner KV Chowdary shall hand over the awards.
Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand has congratulated all the winners of Nalco awards and informed that the Navratna company, as responsible corporate citizen, will take many more steps to promote social service, art and culture.