
HYDERABAD: The first series of the Governor’s Awards for Excellence 2024 — the first of its kind in the history of Raj Bhavan — recognising the outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations, was announced on Monday. Details of the award were announced by M Dana Kishore, principal secretary to the governor, at a press meet here.
A total of eight awards were announced in four fields, including Environment Protection, Divyangjan Welfare, Sports & Games and Culture, for individuals and organisations in the state working for the betterment of society. In addition, the three new categories — education, women empowerment and child welfare — will be introduced in the next year’s series, said Dana Kishore.
The list of nominees includes renowned environmentalists, institutions promoting sustainability, advocates for Divyangjan welfare, talented para-athletes, and cultural icons committed to preserving India’s artistic heritage.
The awardees include four individuals and four organisations — Dusharla Sathyanarayana for environment protection, Arikapudi Raghu for Divyangajan Welfare, Jeevanji Deepthi for Sports and Games, PB Krishna and Prof M Pandu Ranga Rao jointly for Culture, Dhruvansh organisation for Environment Protection, LV Prasad Eye Institute for Divyangjan Welfare, Aditya Mehta Foundation for Sports and Games and Samskruti Foundation for Culture.
Each award will carry a cash prize of Rs 2,00,000 and a citation that recognises the outstanding achievements of the awardees. The awardees will be felicitated by the governor in a special ceremony on January 26.
The nominations for the awards were invited in November 2024 from individuals and organisations demonstrating excellence in their respective fields, with submissions accepted through both offline and online modes. Over 594 applications were received with extremely diverse nominations in terms of geography, demographics and gender.
The age group was as wide as the youngest applicant being 16-year-old to the oldest 89-year-old. Out of the total entries, 331 entries were from urban areas including the GHMC region, while 263 nominations came from rural parts of Telangana. The applications were also diverse in terms of gender with 356 male applicants, 96 female applicants, and one transgender applicant, reflecting the inclusivity of the awards.
The awards were assessed by a distinguished Awards Selection Committee, headed by K Padmanabhaiah, IAS (Retd.) former Union Home Secretary and Padma Bhushan awardee.
The jury comprised experts like Sri Anil Kumar, an environmental activist; Dr P Hanumantha Rao, Padma Shri awardee and advocate for Divyangjan welfare; Dr Pullela Gopi Chand, Padma Bhushan awardee, badminton legend, and coach; and Dr Padmaja Reddy, Padma Shri awardee and Kuchipudi dance expert.