The annual awards of the U.S.-based Ramineni Foundation for 2017 were on Thursday given away to four eminent persons — Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chowdary; Dean of School of Medical Sciences of University of Hyderabad Geeta K. Vemuganti; actor R. Narayana Murthy; and theatre artiste and director R. Nageswara Rao of ‘Surabhi’ fame.
The awards were given away by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his Goa counterpart Manohar Parrikar.
Participating as chief guest, Mr. Parrikar said the Ramineni Foundation deserved full appreciation for recognising talent in diverse fields by giving them awards every year. Vast coastline, greenery, and ubiquitous fish farming were the similarities between Goa and A.P., he said.
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Though Goa was a small State with a population of just 16 lakh, it produced some of the country’s best brains such as scientists R.A. Mashelkar and Anil Kakodkar, and noted singer Lata Mangeshkar. They were either born in Goa are had their roots in the State, Mr. Parrikar added.
Mr. Parrikar said people of Andhra Prade were hard-working and many talented persons hailed from this southern State.
He lauded Mr. Naidu’s leadership, particularly the pioneering role he had being playing in the promotion of IT and other technologies.
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Earlier, Mr. Naidu said it was because of the high values Mr. Ayyanna Chowdary had imparted to his sons and daughter that institutions such as the Ramineni Foundation were rendering valuable service to society.
Demographic advantage
He observed that India was the only country where the family system, as an institution that preserved the social fabric, withstood the vagaries of time, and asserted that if India were to enjoy its demographic advantage over other nations, there should be no population control. Otherwise, a situation similar to the one witnessed in Japan would crop up, where dependence on robots was growing due to dwindling population, he said.
Mr. Chowdary stressed the need for people to be conscious of their fundamental duties.
Though these duties could not be enforced like fundamental rights, it was the collective moral obligation to contribute their might to the nation in all possible ways while fighting for their rights.
Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao, Ramineni Foundation chairman Dharmapracharak, Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax S.P. Chowdary, and Director-General of Police N. Sambasiva Rao were among others present on the occasion.