R N Upadhyay, Socialist Educ Inst to get Communal Harmony Award

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) The Institute for Socialist Education has been conferred the National Communal Harmony Award for 2006 in the organisation category while Mr Rabindra Nath Upadhyay of Asom receives it in the individual category.

The Award carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs five lakh and Rs two lakh in the organisation and individual categories respectively.

The Institute for Socialist Education, New Delhi was started in 1970 basically to promote the secular ideals of freedom movement and combat communal fundamentalism by creating awareness among the people through meetings, conventions, seminars and group discussions at various level throughout the country. The organisation has been actively working to promote communal harmony among different communities, transcending all barriers of religious and ethnic differences, an official release said here today.

Mr Upadhyay of Baska, Asom is an octogenarian Gandhian to the core, a freedom fighter, front running leader of the Bhoodan movement and social worker, who fought for the cause of socio-economic upliftment of the people at large. He works to promote truth, non-violence, communal harmony and national integration in the North Eastern region. He has worked to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony and foster unity in some of the communally disturbed areas of Asom, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.

His devoted efforts for constructive work and crusade in the field of Khadi and village industries, social welfare and social justice has earned appreciation. His organisation, Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangha, works for constructive work and his contribution in the field of communal harmony over several decades is noteworthy and significant.

The National Communal Harmony Awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, an autonomous organisation set up the Home Ministry for promoting communal harmony and national integration. It has been instituted with a view of demonstrating due appreciation and recognition by the government of the efforts of individuals and organisations for promotion of communal harmony and national integration in a sustained manner over a sufficiently long period of time.

Qaumi Ekta Trust (1997), Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan (1999), Bhakti Sahitya Shodh Sansthan (2000), National Youth Project Trust (2003), Akhil Bharat Rachnatmak Samaj (2004) and Ramkrishna Mission (2005) have been conferred the award in the organisation category till now.

In the individual category, Mr Asghar Ali Engineer, Maulana Wahidudin Khan, His Holiness Jagadguru Tontada Siddalinga Mahaswamiji, Begam Syeda Naseem Chisti, Acharya Mahaprajna and Hema Malini have been conferred this award.

UNI