CHENNAI:Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday presented many awards to honour achievers in various fields as part of the Independence Day celebrations at Fort St George. The awardees included Krishnammal Jagannathan (91). Krishnnammal was born to a landless Adi Dravida family in 1926 at Ayyankottai, Dindigul district. She has been serving the Adi Dravidas for sustainable development. She is one of the awardees of Alternate Nobel Prize in 2009 and was nominated for the Gandhian peace award in 2016. She met and worked with eminent leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King II and Martin Luther King Junior III.
Krishnammal’s vision was to redistribute land with patta in the name of women. She also inculcated political empowerment by forming grama sabhas before the legal implementation of the 73rd amendment to the Constitution. Dr VM Sankaran, opthalmic surgeon, Kancheepuram, received the Best Doctor award while VP Elayapari, founder of Cure Trust and Research Centre, Madurai was honoured with Best Social Worker award.
MedIndia Charitable Trust was chosen for the Best Institution award while the Organisation for Rehabilitation of the Blind in Tiruchy (ORBIT) got the Best Private Employer award.
The Salem District Central Cooperative Bank, Salem was presented the best district central cooperative bank. The Nilgiris Adivasis Welfare Association, a network of Balwadis in tribal settlements was given the Best Institution award for serving the women.