Awards in July 2013

July 2013 Awards

• The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) has conferred its highest honour ‘The Honorary Fellowship’ on HRD Minister Dr M.M. Pallam Raju for his scientific vision and invaluable contribution to the progress in the field of electronics and telecommunication. The IETE honoured the Minister at a function held in New Delhi on 18th July. It earlier conferred on him a ‘Fellow of IETE’ in 2006 on his assumption of charge as Minister of State for Defense. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad and Temple University, USA, conferred an honorary doctorate and Doctor of Humane Letters respectively in the years 2008 and 2013. On the occasion Dr. Pallam Raju said “It is a privilege to be accorded this honour by a distinguished institution such as the IETE. I truly thank the IETE for having considered me worthy of this honour.” The honour is accorded to persons of eminence who are achievers in the field of Electronics, Telecommunication and Information Technology or have made valuable contribution in the aforesaid fields for the betterment of the society. The IETE is India’s leading professional society devoted to the advancement of science and technology and of Electronics, Telecommunication and IT. Founded in 1953, it serves more than 52,000 members through its 52 centres all over India and abroad. 
• Paul Hewson, popularly known as Bono, the face of the rock band U2 and anti-poverty activist, was awarded with the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, the highest cultural award of France on 17th July for the contribution to music.
  
• He was also praised for utilizing his popularity serve the humanitarian causes. The Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters was awarded to him by the French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti in Paris. The award was started in the year 1957 and the previous awardees include Shakira, David Bowie, Roger Moore, Bruce Willis, Bob Dylan and Sean Connery, among others.
  
• Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony, 2013 is being conferred on the noted Maestro Zubin Mehta. A High-level Jury under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and comprising the Chief Justice of India, Justice Altamas Kabir, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Smt. Sushma Swaraj and Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi after detailed discussions on 4th July, 2013, unanimously decided to select Shri Zubin Mehta to be the second recipient of the Tagore Award, 2013 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cultural harmony. The annual award was instituted by the Govt. of India during the commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. The first Tagore Award was conferred on Pt. Ravi Shankar, the Indian Sitar Maestro in 2012.The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.
  
• An Indian woman entrepreneur Vandana Gandhi has received UAE’s prestigious award for business excellence for her work in the field of nursery education. Founder and CEO of British Orchard Nursery won the Emirates Women’s Award 2013 (EWA) in the ‘Overall Winner in Business Category’. The awards, which honor local and expatriate business achievers from diverse fields, were organized by Dubai Quality Group. Winners in various categories were selected on the basis of their leadership skills, strategy and financial planning, achievement levels, community contribution and innovation. British Orchard Nursery is the first nursery chain to be ISO 9001:2008 quality certified.