Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy presented the State government’s first YSR Life Time Achievement Awards and YSR Achievement Awards to 59 awardees, including organisations and individuals, at a ceremony in the city on Monday.
The duo offered floral tributes to the busts of Potti Sriramulu and the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy wished the people of the State on the occasion of the State Formation Day and said that the YSR awards would be an annual programme on November 1. He said following the suggestions of many, the awards were initiated at the State level on the lines of the Padma awards of the Central government.
“I am happy to be amongst the great people from the State. The name YSR reminds the Telugu people of his dressing style (pancha kattu) reflecting the Telugu culture, his love for agriculture, care for villages and the poor and his desire to provide education to everyone in the State,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
Transparent selection
“Today, even though he’s not amongst us, we have decided to give these awards in his memory. After the formation of this government, all the initiatives have been done transparently and, in line with it, the selection of awardees has been transparent. We have not seen caste, region, religion and even political affiliations or opinions. Though they have different opinions what mattered was their talent and contribution to society. These are the most impartial awards in the history of the State and they reflect the Telugu culture, art and the people,” the Chief Minister said.
“The awards are to recognise the hidden gems in our society and appreciate their priceless contributions. We have largely recognised people from the field of arts and culture in which the brand of Andhra Pradesh lies. I am fortunate to spend time with the great personalities and felicitate them,” he added.
Mr. Harichandan congratulated the awardees for their exemplary services rendered to society in their respective fields. The work by the jury members to shortlist the winners from a pool of talented persons as per the guidelines of the Chief Minister was appreciable, he said.
“YSR has been a phenomenon in the history of A.P. His contribution to agriculture has been immense. Farmers were among his priorities. His brainchild Arogyasri immensely benefited the poor and needy. He won a place in the hearts of people of A.P. and these awards reflect his character and charisma. Presenting these awards on the State Formation Day adds more glitter and it will become a regular feature as part of the celebrations hereafter,” the Governor said.
The supreme sacrifice by Potti Sriramulu led to the formation of the State. “The Telugu language is one of the ancient and classic languages in the world. Ravindranath Tagore said Telugu is the sweetest of all Indian languages,” he said.
Mr. Harichandan said recognition of services of nurses and doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic with the YSR awards showed the government’s concern for the real warriors.
Awardees
Twenty-nine YSR Lifetime Achievement Awards carrying a cash prize of ₹10 lakh, a bronze statue of YSR, a memento and a certificate, and 30 YSR Achievement Awards with ₹5 lakh, a bronze statue, memento and a certificate, were presented. Some of the awardees are: MSN Charities Trust, CP Brown Library, Sri Satyasai Central Trust, Maharaja’s Govt. College of Music and Dance, Palla Venkanna, Siva Abhirama Reddy, Andhra Fine Khadi Karmika Abhyudaya Sangham, Vangapandu Prasada Rao (posthumously), journalist K. Amarnath (posthumously), Siddhendra Yogi Kalakshetram, Kathi Padma Rao, Konakaluri Inak, Lalitha Kumar (Volga), cartoonist Surendra, Dr. Nithi Chandra, Dr. K. Krishna Kishore, staff nurses Lakshmi, K. Jyothirmayi, T. Tejaswi and M. Yobu.
The awards were given in the categories of organisations, farming, arts and culture, journalism, literature and medical and health and named after Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, the former Chief Minister and father of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Y.S. Vijayalakshmi (Vijayamma) and others were present.
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