Press Release
Twelve Lok Sabha MPs and three Parliamentary Standing
Committees nominated for the ‘Sansad
Ratna Awards’ based on their performance in the 17th Lok Sabha
New Delhi, January 7, 2024: The
prestigious Sansad Ratna and Sansad Maha Ratna Awards have been announced for
the 17th Lok Sabha, to honour twelve distinguished Parliamentarians and three
Standing Committees of Parliament in recognition of their exemplary
performances.
‘Sansad Ratna Awards’ presented annually and ‘Sansad Maha Ratna Award,’
presented once in five years by the Chennai-based NGO Prime Point Foundation
and the eMagazine PreSense, acknowledge outstanding performances of MPs in the
Parliament. Prime Point Srinivasan, the Founder and Chairman of Prime Point
Foundation, said these awards are based on comprehensive performance, with
nominees selected by a distinguished Jury Committee chaired by Arjun Ram
Meghwal, Minister of State for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, and T. S.
Krishnamurthy, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. The performance
data is sourced from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha websites and the PRS
Legislative Research. This is the only Award presented by civil society to honour
the top-performing Parliamentarians in India.
The Sansad Ratna Awards Committee,
led by Priyadharshni Rahul, Trustee Secretary of Prime Point Foundation and the
Chairman of Sansad Ratna Awards Committee, announced the recipients for the
Sansad Maha Ratna Awards for the entire 17th Lok Sabha. These include NK
Premachandran (RSP, Kerala), Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Indian National Congress,
West Bengal), Bidyut Baran Mahato (BJP, Jharkhand), and Dr. Heena Vijayakumar
Gavit (BJP, Maharashtra).
“Recognising the continued consistent top performance of Supriya Sule
(NCP, Maharashtra), Shrirang Appa Barne (Shiv Sena, Maharashtra), and
Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD, Odisha), the Sansad Maha Ratna Awardees of the
previous 16th Lok Sabha, the Jury
Committee has decided to honour them for their 'Exemplary Performance'
in the 17th Lok Sabha as well”. These three Members would be honoured with
“Sansad Utkrisht Mana Ratna” Award”, said Priyadharshni Rahul.
She further added that five Lok Sabha Members, Sudhir Gupta (BjP, Madhya
Pradesh), Dr Shrikanth Eknath Shinde
(Shiv Sena, Maharashtra), including first time MPs Dr Sukanta Majumdar (BJP,
West Bengal), Kuldeep Rai Sharma (Congress, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and Dr
Amol Ramsingh Kolhe (NCP, Maharashtra will receive the “Sansad Ratna” Awards. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Dr Amol Ramsingh Kolhe
and Sudhir Gupta are receiving the Award for the third time for their
performance in the 17th Lok Sabha”.
“All the above MPs are nominated
by the Jury Committee for the Awards transparently, based on their outstanding
performance in Initiated debates, Private Members Bills and Questions since the
inception of the 17th Lok Sabha”, added Priyadharshni Rahul.
Sansad Maha Ratna Awards were not previously conferred upon
Parliamentary committees. Considering
the importance of these Committees, starting from the current 17th Lok Sabha,
three Standing Committees have been included in the Sansad
Maha Ratna Awards. The Agriculture Committee chaired by P C Gaddi Gowdar (BJP,
Karnataka), the Finance Committee chaired by Jayant Sinha (BJP, Jharkhand), and
the Transport and Tourism Committee presently
chaired by Vijayasai Reddy (YSR Congress, Andhra Pradesh) and formerly chaired
by T G Venkatesh (BJP, Andhra Pradesh) have been nominated for their consistent
contributions based on sittings and the reports presented by them, relying on
the data commensurate with the term of 17th Lok Sabha.
The prestigious awards are scheduled to be presented at a grand ceremony
on February 17, 2024, in Delhi, marking the 14th edition of the event. Prime
Point Foundation instituted these honours at the instance of Dr. Abdul Kalam,
former President of India, who himself inaugurated the first award event in
2010 in Chennai.
Sansad Ratna Awards are presented annually to the top performing
Parliamentarians based on their performance, while Sansad Maha Ratna awards are
presented once in five years for the consistency of performance during the term
of the Lok Sabha. Till March 2023, 106 Sansad Ratna Awards have been presented
through 13 award ceremonies making it the only award presented by any civil
society at a global level to the best-performing Parliamentarians.
Ends
