HCS Topic Wise Current Affairs 2020:Awards & Recognitions Part-II

HCS Last One Year Topic Wise Current Affairs: Awards & Recognitions Part-II

Haryana Civil Services Exam

CURRENT AFFAIRS YEARLY 2020

Last one-year Current Affairs For HCS Exam: Awards & Recognitions Part-II

1. The award conferred by the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi on eminent personalities of classical music every year has been renamed as ‘Sunanda Samman’.

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the proposal. As per the proposal, the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi will confer ‘Sunanda Samman’ on the personalities who excel in classical music every year.
• The ‘Sunanda Samman’ carries a cash reward of Rs 2.5 lakh and a citation.
• The award has been instituted after eminent classical singer Sunanda Patnaik

2. Sir David Attenborough has been conferred with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019.

• David Attenborough is an English broadcaster and a historian. 
• He is popular for writing and presenting BBC Natural History units. He worked to make awareness to preserve and protect the biodiversity of the planet.
• The other recipients of the award are the Centre for Science and Environment in 2018, United Nations High Commission for Refugees in 2015, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) in 2014, Kofi Annan in 2003, UNICEF in 1989, Parliamentarians for Global Action in 1986.
• The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize award is for peace, disarmament, and development.

3. DadaSaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021

• Dada Saheb Phalke Awards has revealed on its official Instagram page that Sushant will be awarded posthumously at the DadaSaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021. 
• The California State Assembly was given a special honor for his contributions to the world and cinema. 
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting may honor the actor in a special way at this year's National Awards.

4. Michelin-star Chef Vikas Khanna will be honoured with the prestigious 2020 Asia Game Changer Award for feeding millions across India amid the COVID-19 pandemic through a massive food distribution drive that he coordinated from thousands of miles away in his Manhattan home.

• The Asia Game Changer Awards, launched by the Asia Society -- a US-based non-profit organisation -- in 2014, identify and honour true leaders who make a positive contribution to the future of Asia.
• Khanna is the only Indian among the six honourees named by the leading organisation.

5. Odisha's architectural marvel Krushi Bhavan has won the "People's Choice Winner" at the AZ Awards 2020 in the Social Good Category.

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has dedicated this award to farmers and artisans of the state.
• This award is possible for farmers and artisans of Odisha, the inspiration behind the design of this building.
• The Krushi Bhawan was the only project from India at the globally recognised prestigious award.

6. Aditya Puri  was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by Euromoney Awards of Excellence 2020.

• Aditya Puri, MD, HDFC Bank was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by Euromoney Awards of Excellence 2020.
• The publication has recognised the iconic leader for his skills in building a world-class Indian bank at a time where there were no similar institutions in existence.
• The coveted honour from the global financial magazine in recognition of his illustrious career in banking comes just ahead of his retirement next month.

7. Historian-Author Rana Safvi has been honoured with the Yamin Hazarika Award.

• Rana Safvi has published several books on the culture, history, and monuments of India.
• She was chosen for her “contribution to the syncretic culture of India”.
• It is given annually by a collective of women professionals since 2015.
• Yamin Hazarika was the first woman from the Northeast to join the central police service.
• Some of the winners of this award are Author Indrani Raimedhi, athlete Tayabun Nisha, actor Moloya Goswami, environmental activist Purnima Devi Barman and social activist Hasina Kharbhih.

8. Kerala Tourism’s internationally-acclaimed ‘Human by Nature’ campaign won the prestigious PATA (Pacific- Asia Travel Association) Grand Award 2020 for Marketing. 

• This gives a huge stimulus to the tourism industry in the state which has been severely affected due to COVID-19 pandemic.
• The idea of a new campaign was put forth by Kerala Tourism.
• The campaign showcases the culture and daily life of the people of Kerala. 

9. Kerala has won a United Nations award for its "outstanding contribution towards the non-communicable diseases-related sustainable development goals.

• The award was a recognition of the tireless service of Kerala in the health sector.
• The state government has arranged facilities from the basic public health centres to hospitals at all levels to treat the lifestyle diseases. Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja

10. Diamond City Surat has bagged the Netexplo Smart Cities Award with UNESCO in the resilience category. 

• Surat’s mayor will receive the award at the UNESCO House in Paris, France in March next year.
• Globally, 10 cities were awarded under the UNESCO-Netexplo Smart Cities Accelerator Programme.
• Surat is the only city from India to have bagged the award in the resilience category.
• This is a proud moment for all of the people in the city who have shown tremendous resilience whenever there is calamity and emerging victorious.

11. “The Discomfort of Evening”, written by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and translated from Dutch by Michele Hutchison, has won the 2020 International Booker Prize. The £50,000 prize will be split equally between the two.

• Rijneveld, 29, is the youngest author to win the International Booker Prize.
• The International Booker Prize is awarded every year to a book of fiction in any language that is translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. 
• The award is separate from the main Booker Prize, and aims to encourage more publishing and reading of quality fiction from around the world.

12. This year the Namami Gange project has been included in the prestigious ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2020’. 

• National Mission for Clean Ganga is not limited to the ‘Nirmalta’ and ‘Aviralta’ of the Ganga, it is also working on Arth Ganga to develop a sustainable socioeconomic zone around the Ganga and its tributaries, which will give a boost to the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ campaign.
• The Government of India has restructured the Scheme ‘Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration’ to acknowledge, recognize and reward the exemplary work done by Civil Servants across the country. 

13. The founder of SS Motivation, Sunil ydv SS was honoured with “Karmaveer Chakra Award” by Global Fellowship Award instituted by United Nations and International Confederation of NGO (ICONGO) at the ReX ConcLIVE hosted in IIT Delhi. 

• He received the award for his relentless contribution to society through his Telegram channel “SS Motivation.”
• He addresses social issues and motivates people every day through his channel. 
• The Karamveer Chakra is a global award given to people who contribute to society by showing courage, initiating change, and walking through the less-travelled life paths. 

14. Pakistan will confer the country's prestigious award to a Turkish lawmaker, Ali Sahin, in recognition of his services to promoting friendship between the two countries.

• President Mr Arif Alvi will honor him with the Sitar-e-Quaid-e-Azam award on Aug. 14 (Pakistan Independence Day)
• Sahin, who is a member of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, studied in Pakistan and speaks Urdu.
• He is chairman of the Pakistan-Turkey friendship parliamentary group.

15. Journalists Nitin Sethi and Shiv Sahay Singh were declared winners of the Asian College of Journalism’s (ACJ) Award 2019 for Investigative Journalism and K. P. Narayana Kumar Memorial Award for Social Impact Journalism, respectively. 

• The awards were presented in a virtual ceremony by Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of the World Health Organisation(WHO), at the inauguration of the Class of 2021
• Nitin Sethi is a journalist in the Huffington Post. He won this award for his six-part series titled “Paisa Politics” published by The Huffington Post India.
• Shiv Sahay Singh is a journalist in The Hindu. He received the award for his story titled “Death by digital exclusion: On faculty public distribution system in Jharkhand” published in The Hindu.

16. President Ram Nath Kovind approved gallantry awards, including Shaurya Chakra to honour bravehearts of Indian armed forces on the eve of 74th Independence Day.

• Three Army personnel and one Indian Air Force (IAF) officer were among nine Shaurya Chakra awards announced on the eve of Independence Day.
• Those from the Army who have been awarded the Shaurya Chakra are Lt.Col. Krishan Singh Rawat, Major Anil Urs and Havildar Alok Kumar Dubey. 
• Wing Commander Vishak Nair from the Indian Air Force was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra.
• The Shaurya Chakra is awarded for gallantry It is the third highest gallantry award in peacetime.       
•  The president also approved Sena Medal (gallantry) to 60 Army personnel, Nao Sena Medal (gallantry) to four from the Navy and five Vayu Sena Medal (gallantry) for the Air Force. Bar to Sena Medal has been approved for five Army personnel.

17. Wing Commander Gajanand Yadava has won the ‘Tenzing Norgey National Adventure Award ' in the air adventure category. 

• Gajanand Yadava is a Parachute Jump Instructor. He is also a member of IAF's Skydiving Team `Akash Ganga`.
•  He has undertaken more than 2900 jumps till date, stated the Indian Air Force in its post. 
• The Indian Air Force also congratulated the Air Force Sports Control Board (AFSCB) for being awarded the 'Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2020'.

18. Panjab University has won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy for the second consecutive time.It has lifted the trophy for the second time in a row after a gap of 25 years.

• The award function will be held on August 29, National Sports Day, and the President of India would present the honour, along with other national sporting awards. 
• The university will be conferred with the trophy with a cash prize of Rs20 lakh.

19. Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been awarded a Portuguese rights award.

• She was awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity for the way she has been able to mobilise younger generations for the cause of climate change.
• She pledged the million-euro prize to groups working to protect the environment and halt climate change.
• The million euro ($1.1 million) is the largest prize won by the 17-year-old environmental campaigner who has also won Amnesty International's top human rights prize and the Swedish Right Livelihood Award, often presented as an alternative Nobel.

20. Guinean doctor Morissana Kouyaté and Marianna Vardinoyannis are the winners of the 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize.

• The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, made the announcement of the winners of the award which recognizes persons who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity.
• Morissana Kouyaté is a leading figure in efforts to end violence against women in Africa, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). He has received several international humanitarian awards for his work
• Marianna Vardinoyannis has been involved in the fight against child cancer for some 30 years and, thanks to her work, thousands of children have been cured.

21. According to ATK-Mohun Bagan club, Hockey legend Gurbux Singh and former first-class cricketer Palash Nandi will receive this year’s Mohun Bagan Ratna. 

• The club has decided not to hold the customary ‘Mohun Bagan Day’ function on July 29 this year owing to the pandemic.
• July 29 was the date of Bagan’s IFA Shield triumph in 1911 when they defeated East Yorkshire Regiment
• Ashok Kumar, a member of India’s 1975 World Cup-winning hockey team, will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award along with Pranab Ganguly (football) and Monoranjan Porel (athletics). 
• Joseba Beitia will get the best footballer (senior) prize. Sajal Bag (U-18) has been chosen as the best youth player.

22. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) will honour four courageous journalists with the International Press Freedom Awards 2020  

• Britain’s Lawyer Amal Clooney will be honoured with the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award 2020.
• She is specialised in public international law, international criminal law, and human rights.
• She serves as an advocate for press freedom and has also served as international counsel for several journalists under threat.
• The Gwen Ifill Award is given annually by CPJ’s board of directors to recognise extraordinary and sustained commitment to press freedom.

23. Noted Bangladeshi photojournalist and founder of Pathshala Media Institute Shahidul Alam has been announced as one of the winners of the 2020 International Press Freedom Awards.

• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)will honour Shahidul and three others from Iran, Nigeria, and Russia
• All four awardees have either been arrested or faced criminal prosecution in reprisal for their reporting.
• Mohammad Mosaed (Iran), a freelance economic reporter 
• Dapo Olorunyomi (Nigeria), co-founder, CEO and publisher of the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times, 
• and Svetlana Prokopyeva (Russia), a regional correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, known as Radio Svoboda.
  

24. The International Academy of Astronautics(IAA) has announced Dr. K Sivan, Chief of Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) as the recipient of the 2020 Von Karman Award, the highest distinction of the IAA. 

• The award will be presented to Dr.K.Sivan in March 2021 at Paris.
• The von Karman award was established in 1982 and is the premier award of the Academy. It is given annually to recognize outstanding lifetime achievements in any branch of science without limit of nationality or gender. 

25. President of National Media club, Sachin Awasthi bagged top publicist honor under Global Humanitarian Award 2020. 

• He is one of the 100 awardees nominated from 35 different countries and 9 continents.
• The award was delivered in London via webinar
• National Media Club inaugurated the Swachh Bharat – Sundar Bharat Mission in the year 2014, released the country’s first toll-free number for cleanliness in the presence of former Union Minister and present Governor of Rajasthan, Kalraj Mishra, several MPs and journalists.

26. Kritika Pandey’s short story, The Great Indian Tee and Snakes has won the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Earlier in June, the story had been adjudged the regional winner from Asia.

• The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded to unpublished short fiction in English, or stories that have been translated from Bengali, Chinese, French, Greek, Kiswahili, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Tamil and Turkish. 
• Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000

27. Former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan was conferred with the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to statistics on the occasion of Statistics Day.

• Besides heading RBI and the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council, Rangarajan was chairman of the National Statistical Commission, set up in 2000 to review the statistical system.
• Chief statistician Pravin Srivastava announced that the government will launch e-Sigma that will capture data using mobile devices.

28. The Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj department has won the first prize under the E-Panchayat Puraskars-2020.

• The state has been selected for the award for effective implementation of the e-application developed by the Central government and other applications developed by the state government.
• All 3,226 panchayats in the state have been provided with internet facilities, now with the help of it, people can access various services online. 
• Various services such as family registration, registration of birth, death and marriages are registered online in the panchayats.

29. Nobel Prize-winning economist and philosopher Amartya Sen has won the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. 

• The board of the German book trade has announced it had awarded its prestigious peace prize to Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen for his work on global social injustice.
• The award ceremony traditionally takes place at the end of the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 18 and is broadcast live on television.
• The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade has been awarded annually since 1950. It comes with a cash prize of €25,000 euros ($28,000).
• Its aim is to honor individuals "who have made an outstanding contribution to the realization of the idea of peace primarily through his activities in the fields of literature, science, and art."

30. Eminent Indian-American soil scientist Rattan Lal has been named this year's recipient of the World Food Prize for developing a soil-centric approach to increasing food production that conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change.

• Lal, a native of India and a citizen of the United States, will receive the 2.5 lakh dollar award that honors his contribution throughout his career.
• The approach will benefit the livelihoods of more than 500 million smallholder farmers.
• Lal serves as Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and founding Director of the Carbon Management & Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University (OSU).