IMC felicitates Magsaysay awardees Amtes

Mumbai, Oct 11 (UNI) Dr Prakash Amte and his wife Dr Mandakini were today felicitated by the Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC) for winning the prestigious 2008 Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.

The award was conferred upon the couple in August.

Speaking at a felicitation function here, Piramal Healthcare Chairman Ajay Piramal said the husband-wife duo is the shining example of old fashioned, noble and selfless service in an age of greed and capitalism.

He said people like the Amtes provide hope and belief in humanity with their work.

''Great people like them avoid the glare of the media, while lesser mortals try their best to get into the limelight,'' Mr Piramal noted.

The Amtes have carried on the work of Dr Prakash Amte's father, the illustrious Baba Amte, by uplifting the socio-economic condition of the Madia Gonds in Hemalkasa district of Maharashtra since 1974.

The couple has opened a school, hospital, animal orphanage and introduced farming techniques and preservation of natural resources to 40,000 tribals of the area.

The Principality of Monaco had also honoured the Amtes with a stamp in 1995 in honour of their humanitarian work.

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