Current Affairs June 2018 - Awards
1 - Kendrick Lamar won Pulitzer Prize for music
Rapper Kendrick Lamar has won the Pulitzer Prize for music for his album Damn, released in April 2017. He became the first non-classical or jazz artist to collect the award.
Lamar won five Grammy awards for Damn in January - but lost the coveted album of the year prize to Bruno Mars. The Pulitzer prize is best known for recognising US journalism, but it also gives awards for books, poetry and music. The winner receives a $15,000 (£10,500) prize.
2 - Kailash Satyarthi and A S Kiran Kumar presented with Santokbaa Humanitarian Award
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the 'Santokbaa Humanitarian Award' to child rights activist and Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), A S Kiran Kumar. The award includes a trophy and a prize money of Rs 1 crore each to the awardees.
The award is instituted by Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundaton (SRKKF). SRKKF confers the award every year for humanitarian contributions by individuals whose life and work are characterised by their selfless and inspiring service.
3 - PM Modi gave Padma Shri award to Tommy Koh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the Padma Shri award to former Singaporean diplomat Tommy Koh. Koh was among 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) receipts of the prestigious award this year.
Koh has served as Singapore’s ambassador to the US and the UN, and as president of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in 1981 and 1982. Padma Shri award is one of India’s highest civilian awards.
4 - Anupam Kher received Outstanding Achievement award at IIFA 2018
Veteran actor Anupam Kher was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement award at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards (19th Edition) ceremony in Bangkok for his contribution in the field of cinema. He has worked in over 500 films.
Mr. Kher has also been honoured with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts.
5 - Sulabh International founder honoured with Japan's Nikkei Asia Prize
Noted social reformer and founder of Sulabh International, Bindeshwar Pathak, was honoured with Japan’s prestigious ‘Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture and Community’ for his significant work in tackling poor hygiene and discrimination. The award was given under ‘Culture and Community’ category. The other two winners were Ma Jun (Economic and Business Innovation), a Chinese environmentalist, for using the power of the internet to promote cleaner industry and Professor Nguyen ThanhLiem (Science and Technology), a Vietnamese doctor, for bringing cutting-edge medicine to children.
The awards were presented by Nikkei Inc, one of the largest media corporations in Japan.
6 - Prime Minister’s Awards for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga - 2018
Shri Vishwas Mandalik (in the category Individual – National) and The Yoga Institute, Mumbai (in the category Organisation – National) are the recipients of the Prime Minister's Award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of Yoga for the year 2018.
The winners will be felicitated with a Trophy, Certificate and a Cash Award of Rs. 25.00 lakhs each. The award for 2017 was won by Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune.
7 - National Awards for Outstanding Services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse
The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented the “Fourth National Awards for outstanding services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse” to the institutions and individuals on the occasion of ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’.
Best Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA) − Tapovan Nashamukti Evam Punarwas Sansthan, Rajasthan
Best Panchayati Raj working for prevention of alcoholism and substance (drug) abuse − Lariapali Gram Panchayat, Odisha
Best Educational Institution − Punjab Institute of Medical Science, Punjab
8 - Indian Army Contingent in UN South Sudan Force Awarded
The 7 Garhwal Rifles Infantry Battalion Group of the Indian Army was awarded the United Nations Medal for "selfless service". The battalion is part of the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan.
India is a leading contributor to the United Nations Peacekeeping missions. According to the data obtained from UN Peackeeping Missions website, India contributes over 6,000 troops in 14 missions across the world.
9 - Tumhari Sulu judged Best Film in IIFA Awards 2018
Vidya Balan-starrer Tumhari Sulu won the Best Film award at the 19th edition of International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony. Veteran star Sridevi was posthumously awarded Best Actress for her role in Mom.
Actor Irrfan Khan was awarded with the Best Actor for award for his role in Hindi Medium. Saket Chaudhary took home Best Director award for Hindi Medium. “Newton” which was India's official entry to Oscars this year, won the award for Best Story for director Masurkar. Nawazuddin Siddiqui won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Mom.
10 - Vasundhara Raje honored with ‘CM of the Year’ Award
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was awarded 'Chief Minister of the Year' award for her outstanding work in e-governance in an award ceremony held at the 52nd Skoch Summit. E-government is the use of electronic communications devices, computers and the Internet to provide public services to citizens.
Vasundhara Raje Scindia has also served as Chief Minister of Rajasthan from 2003 to 2008, and was the first female to hold the post.
11 - ‘Sagarmala’ received Gold Award at the 52nd Skoch Summit 2018
The Ministry of Shipping’s flagship programme, ‘Sagarmala’, received the ‘Gold Award’ in infrastructure sector at 52nd Skoch Summit 2018. The Sagarmala Programme also received the ‘Order of Merit’ at the Summit.
The Skoch Awards recognize leadership and excellence in accelerating socio-economic changes. These awards have become a benchmark of best practices in India in the fields of governance, infrastructure, finance, banking, technology, corporate citizenship, economics and inclusive growth.
12 - Drs. Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro honoured with World Food Prize 2018
Drs. Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro won the 2018 World Food Prize for their individual efforts in uniting food security programs in the wake of 2008 global food crisis, resulting in a significant reduction in childhood malnutrition in many countries.
Dr. Haddad urged governments to prioritize child and maternal nutrition and established accountability and transparency standards for their efforts, while Dr. Nabarro worked with the UN and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement to improve child nutrition within the crucial first 1,000 days of life.
