KANNUR: The A K Nair Memorial Award for Excellence instituted by the North Malabar Chamber of Commerce and the A K Nair Memorial Endowment Committee was presented to T K A Nair, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, by Vice-President Hamid Ansari at a glittering function held under tight security at the Sadhoo Kalyana Mandapam here on Saturday.
Addressing the function, the VicePresident complimented T K A Nair, drawing attention to the contributions made by the latter to Kerala in facilitating development projects and building the necessary infrastructure and employment generation. The VicePresident said, "In his long years as a senior civil servant, Nair has obtained a thorough understanding of governance at the local, state and Central Government levels. He was also instrumental in undertaking many initiatives, especially in the field of infrastructure development, development planning and managing the complex contexts of the government and public sector enterprises.''
"The award is a fitting tribute to his efforts and initiatives and represents recognition from his community, region and state.'' Governor R S Gavai presided over the function. Education and Cultural Affairs Minister M A Baby addressed the function.
Earlier, NMCC president B Maheshchandra Baliga welcomed the gathering. Padma Bhushan C P Krishnan Nair spoke, introducing the recipient of the award.
Accepting the award, T K A Nair said that he was receiving the award on behalf of the hundreds of civil servants for whom recognition and an occasional pat on the back would give a lot of motivation. Vivek Nair, chairman of the A K Nair Memorial Endowment Committee, proposed a vote of thanks. Leela Krishnan Nair distributed scholarships to the children of weavers, at the function.