Dr Manmohan Singh CNN-IBN Indian of Year, honour for Ratan Tata

New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Industrialist Ratan Tata, NRI Indra Nooyi, filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, Golfer Jeev Milkha Singh and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal - were adjudged CNN-IBN Indians of the year for their achievements in their respective fields, and enhancing the stock of ''Brand India'' on the global arena.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was selected the 'CNN-IBN Indian of the Year' from among these icons for ''adding stature to the Prime Minister's Office through his silent strength of character, personal integrity and modesty''.

These achievers in diverse walks of life - from sports to politics to business to entertainment to public service, were honoured at a glittering function here last night, which saw participation from celebrities from across a wide spectrum of society including Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Union Ministers Praful Patel and Anand Sharma, Samajwadi party Leader Amar Singh, Indian Express Editor Shekhar Gupta, mediapersons Nalini Singh, Dilip Padgaonkar and many others.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rajdeep Sardesai of the CNN-IBN said the awards, seeking to felicitate Indian icons in various fields for their pathbreaking initiatives and achievements that have given India a sense of pride on the Global scene, arose from the need to have an award that defined the country and represented the profile of a new 'rising India' on the global scene''.

Of the winners, only Jeev Milkha Singh, filmmaker Raj Kumar Hirani and Arvind Kejriwal were present in person to receive their awards.

While Industralist Ratan Tata was selected Indian of the Year for ''making India proud by his successful takeover of Anglo-Dutch steel firm Corus'', Golfer Jeev Milkha Singh recieved the award for his exceptional peformance on the recent European tour which made him the highest seeded Indian golfer in the World.

NRI Indra Nooyi was selected for the honour for the distinction of being the first Indian woman to become the CEO of US company Pepsico while filmmaker Raj Kumar Hirani was lauded for bringing Gandhian ideology back into focus through his advocacy of Gandhian thought in 'Lage Raho Munnabhai'.

Arvind Kejriwal was honoured for his crusade for the Right To Information Act which led to the act being finally passed in 2005.

Also honoured was Industrialist Lakshmi Mittal with a special jury prize ''for being an entrepreneur who showed the world how an Indian could hold a multi-billion empire and in this process becoming the undisputed style tycoon''.

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