President Pranab Mukherjee will give away National Cooperative Development Corporation, NCDC, awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi tomorrow. An official release said, Assam-based Dakhin Rampur Goan Panchayat Samabay Samity Limited has been selected for the award under cooperatives in least developed state category. 

Andhra Pradesh-based Mulukanoor Women's Cooperative Dairy Vishwandapuri and Maharashtra-based Samarth Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited will receive awards in the category of underdeveloped and developed states respectively. Besides these, 24 other cooperatives from different states of the country have been selected for State level awards.

AIR correspondent reports, the national award consists of one lakh rupees cash prize, trophy and a certificate of citation. The state level award has 50 thouand rupees cash prize, trophy and a citation.

Eleven eminent personalities will be conferred with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Awards and thirty six artists with Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for the year 2011. 

The persons who will be awarded Akademi Fellowship include Mukund Lath, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma, Amjad Ali Khan, Umayalpuram Kasiviswanatha Sivaraman, Mohan Chandrasekaran, Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, Kalamandalam Gopi, Padma Subrahmanyam, Chandrasekhar Basavanneppa Kambara and Heisnam Kanhailal.

 he noted Tamil writer Dr A.A Manavalan has been conferred on the 21st Saraswati Samman for the year 2011 at a function in New Delhi today. The award was given to him by the Corporate Affairs Minister Mr M. Veerappa Moily for his book 'Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalyum' published in 2005. Our correspondent reports that the award-winning book is a comparative study of 48 Ramayanas in the languages including Pali, Sanskrit, Prakrit, , Tamil, Telugu and Assamese. The Saraswati Samman carries a cash award of 7.5 lakh rupees and a citation.

 The V.V Giri Memorial award for 2011 was today conferred upon noted economist and scholar, Professor Utsa Patnaik, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to labour studies. In her work, Professor Utsa has called for the promotion of labour intensive small scale production to ensure sustainable agrarian development. 

Speaking on the ocassion, Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said, the government has taken a number of steps like interest subvention to farmers adhering to repayment schedules, Kisan Credit Cards and revival packages to ensure flow of credit to small and marginal farmers. The Minister said there is a need for carrying out systemtic research to understand labour characteristics of the emerging labour landscape.

AIR Correspondent reports that the award intorduced by V V Giri National Labour Institute carries a cash prize of one lakh rupees and a citation.

A state level Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas was celebrated at Pushpa Gujral Science City in Kapurthala, today. About 300 students from various schools of the state participated in it. 

Director General of the Science City, Dr. R.S Khandpur in his address to the students said that India is currently the world’s fifth largest energy consumer and will move up to third place by 2030- behind only the US and China. 

Simple measures for conservation of energy can help to stall global warming. He stressed the importance of renewable energy resources.

 he 20th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award was presented today to D.R. Mehta, the founder and Chief Patron of the organization that popularised the Jaipur Foot, for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. The function was organised on the eve of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's 68th birth anniversary on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, the UPA Chairperson and Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi expressed serious concern over violent incidents in Assam. She stressed that the guilty must be brought to book. Asking the Centre and States to come together and take firm action against such elements, Mrs Gandhi said that the need of the hour is that people should come together against such evil designs.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said, Non-Governmental organisations should join hands with the Government in implementing social welfare schemes, so that the dreams of Late Rajiv Gandhi can be realised.

D R Mehta, famous for popularising Jaipur Foot has been selected for the 20th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award. The Award, which carries a citation and a cash award of five lakh rupees, is being given to him for his outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. 

Mehta is the founder and chief patron of an organisation that popularised the Jaipur Foot. He is also a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India. In 1975, Mehta set up the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, a charity based in Jaipur that provides artificial legs for the poor. Member Secretary of Advisory Committee of Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award Motilal Vora said the Award instituted by the All India Congress Committee will be presented to Mehta at a special ceremony in New Delhi on 20th of this month, birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.