Wednesday, January 29, 2014

India Ranks Among Top Investment Destinations

India has received total foreign investment of USD 306.88 billion since 2000 and 94% of this amount has been received during last 9 years. India’s Foreign Direct Investment policy has been progressively liberalised to make the investment regime more investor friendly. In a recent review of the policy the government has amended the sectoral caps and/or entry routes in some sectors viz. petroleum & natural gas; commodity exchanges; power exchanges; stock exchanges, depositories and clearing corporations; asset reconstruction companies; credit information companies; tea sector including tea plantations; single brand product retail trading; test marketing; telecom services; courier services and defence. The review of FDI policy is done with a view to boost investor confidence thereby stimulating FDI inflows and contributing to accelerated economic growth. 

The government approved liberalisation of FDI norms in a number of sectors, including 100 percent in telecom and higher caps in insurance and defence sectors. FDI in multi-brand retail has been allowed up to 51%. The minimum foreign investment requirement is US$ 100 million, at least 50% which shall be invested in `backend infrastructure` within three years of the induction of FDI. The FDI limit in Single Brand Retail has been enhanced to 100%. It was also decided to allow 49 percent FDI in single brand retail under the automatic route and beyond through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) route. While the FDI cap in defence sector remained unchanged at 26 percent, it was decided that higher limits of foreign investments in `state-of-the-art` technology manufacturing would be considered by the Cabinet Committee on Security. 

The result of the liberal foreign investment policies is that India has been consistently rated amongst the top three investment destinations globally by all international bodies including World Bank, UNCTAD. This is also mirrored in the foreign investment data. Between 1999- 2004, India received US$ 19.52 billion of foreign investment which increased to US$ 114.55 billion between 2004-09, and increased further to US$ 172.82 billion between 2009- September 2013. 

FDI inflows have a positive impact by supplementing domestic capital, technology and skills of existing companies including in the aviation sector, as well as through establishment of new companies. It has indirect multiplier effect on other related sectors also, and thereby stimulates economic growth. FDI inflows also have a positive impact on the current account balance. 

When it comes to the impact of FDI in retail trading towards the consumers, it is beyond doubt that they have gained a lot from organised retail on multiple counts. Studies in comparable situations have revealed that lower income consumers saved more. Farmers too have benefited significantly from the option of direct sales to organised retailers. The profit realisation for farmers selling directly to organised retailers is about 60 per cent higher than that received from selling in the mandi. 

Small manufacturers will benefit from the safeguard pertaining to a minimum of 30% procurement from Indian small industries. This would provide the necessary scales for these entities to expand capacities in manufacturing, thereby creating more employment and also strengthening the manufacturing base of the country. They will also derive the benefits of technology upgradation, which will provide a fillip to productivity and local value-addition, thereby raising the profitability and earnings of the small manufacturer. The sourcing condition will also enable the small enterprises to get integrated with global retail chains, thereby enhancing their capacity to export products from India. Small retailers would continue to be able to source high quality produce, at significantly lower prices, from wholesale cash and carry points. The young population joining the workforce will benefit from the creation of employment opportunities, in the entire range of activities from the backend to the frontend retail business, as also from the skills imparted to them by the prospective investors. 

Price stabilisation and inflation control could be achieved through direct buying from farmers, improving supply chain inefficiencies to lower transit losses, improved storage capabilities to control supply/demand imbalances, better quality and safety standards through farmer development and increased processing of produce. FDI in retail may thus be an efficient means of addressing this issue as this would bring in large investments required for the back end infrastructure & value chain and requisite technical &management know-how. 

UNESCO released 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14

UNESCO released the 11th Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013 – 14 on 28 January 2014. The theme of the report was Teaching and Learning: Achieving quality for all. 
The report warns that despite advances made in education, not a single goal laid down in Dakar, Senegal in 2000 will be achieved globally by 2015.
The EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013-14 vividly underlines the fact that people in the most marginalized groups have continued to be denied opportunities for education over the decade. The Report has advocated to put in place a robust global post-2015 education framework to tackle unfinished business while addressing new challenges.

It further said that post-2015 education goals will only be achieved if they are accompanied by clear, measurable targets with indicators tracking that no one is left behind, and if specific education financing targets for governments and aid donors are set.
The Main Highlights of the Report
Goal 1: Pre-primary Education: Despite improvements, far too many children lack early childhood care and education. In 2012, 25% of children under-5 suffered from stunting. In 2011, around half of young children had access to pre-primary education, and in sub-Saharan Africa the share was only 18%.
Goal 2: Universal Primary Education: Universal primary education is likely to be missed by a wide margin. The number of children out of school was 57 million in 2011, half of whom lived in conflict-affected countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 23% of poor girls in rural areas were completing primary education by the end of the decade. If recent trends in the region continue, the richest boys will achieve universal primary completion in 2021, but the poorest girls will not catch up until 2086.
Goal 3: Lower Secondary Education: Many adolescents lack foundation skills gained through lower secondary education. In 2011, 69 million adolescents were out of school, with little improvement in this number since 2004. In low income countries, only 37% of adolescents completed lower secondary education, and the rate is as low as 14% for the poorest. On recent trends, girls from the poorest families in sub-Saharan Africa are only expected to achieve lower secondary completion in 2111.
Goal 4: Adult Literacy: Adult literacy has hardly improved. In 2011, there were 774 million illiterate adults, a decline of just 1% since 2000. The number is projected to fall only slightly, to 743 million, by 2015. Almost two-thirds of illiterate adults are women. The poorest young women in developing countries may not achieve universal literacy until 2072.
Goal 5: Primary Education Gender Disparity: Gender disparities remain in many countries. Even though gender parity was supposed to be achieved by 2005, in 2011 only 60% of countries had achieved this goal at the primary level and 38% at the secondary level.
Goal 6: Lower Secondary Education Gender Parity: Poor quality of education means millions of children are not learning the basics. Around 250 million children are not learning basic skills, even though half of them have spent at least four years in school. The annual cost of this failure is around 129 billion dollars. The key to improve gender parity in lower secondary education is investing in teachers. In around a third of countries, less than 75% of primary school teachers are trained according to national standards. And in a third of countries, the challenge of training existing teachers is worse than that of recruiting and training new teachers.
Global Monitoring Report and India
According to the Report, in India there are two issues i.e. access and quality. While the Right to Education (Act) has almost taken care of the access part, the government next target is to now focus on improving quality.
The main highlights of the Report in context of India are:
•    In India, education accounts for 10.5% of the total government expenditure which is 3.3% of the GNP (gross national product). 
•    The expenditure on education was below the target of 6%. In fact the spending on education has declined over the period 1999 – 2011. The decline was witnessed in both terms, that is, as a percentage of budgeted expenditure an as a percentage of GNP. In 1999, the spending on education was 13% of the total budgeted expenditure and 4.4% of the GNP.
•    India has the highest population of illiterate adults, 287 million which is 37% of the total population of such people across the world.
•    In India, even after completing four years of school, 90% of children from poorer household remain illiterate. 
•    The UN body has advised countries including India to improve their tax regimes so as to provide more funds to the education sector.
•    In India, rich young women have already achieved universal literacy but the poorest will only do so around 2080.
•    Allocation for education in India varies widely across states. The expenditure of Kerala on education on per pupil was about 685 dollar per year while in Himachal Pradesh it was 542 dollar. In contrast, in West Bengal it was 127 dollar and in Bihar 100 dollar.
An Analysis
This 11th EFA Global Monitoring Report provides a timely update on progress that countries are making towards the global education goals that were agreed in 2000. It also makes a powerful case for placing education at the heart of the global development agenda after 2015. In 2008, the EFA Global Monitoring Report asked – ‘will we make it?’ With less than two years left before 2015, this Report makes it clear that we will not.
In this light Report calls on Governments to redouble efforts to provide learning to all who face disadvantages – whether from poverty, gender, where they live or other factors. Besides, governments must step up efforts to recruit an additional 1.6 million teachers to achieve universal primary education by 2015.  Consequently the Report has identified four strategies to provide the best teachers to reach all children with a good quality education.
First, the right teachers must be selected to reflect the diversity of the children they will be teaching.
Second, teachers must be trained to support the weakest learners, starting from the early grades.
Third, overcome inequalities in learning by allocating the best teachers to the most challenging parts of a country.
Fourth, governments must provide teachers with the right mix of incentives to encourage them to remain in the profession and to make sure all children are learning, regardless of their circumstances.
But teachers cannot shoulder the responsibility alone. The Report shows also that teachers can only shine in the right context, with well-designed curricula and assessment strategies to improve teaching and learning.
These policy changes have a cost. This is why we need to see a dramatic shift in funding. Basic education is currently underfunded by 26 billion dollars a year, while aid is continuing to decline. At this stage, governments simply cannot afford to reduce investment in education – nor should donors step back from their funding promises. This calls for exploring new ways to fund urgent needs.
About the Global Monitoring Report
The Education for All Global Monitoring Report was established in 2000 at Dakar in Senegal. The main objective of the Report is to inform, influence and sustain commitment to achieving the Education for All goals by 2015.
At the UNESCO Summit in April 2000, 1100 participants from 164 countries adopted the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments. These participants agreed upon six wide-ranging education goals to be met by 2015.

India ranked lowest in International Intellectual Property Index

US Chamber of Commerce released the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index on 28 January 2014. In the IP Index, India has scored a low seven point out of maximum 30 points. India continues to have the weakest IP environment of all countries included in the GIPC Index for the second consecutive year.
The continued use of compulsory licenses, patent revocations, and weak legislative and enforcement mechanisms raise serious concerns about India’s commitment to promote innovation and protect creators.
Other highlights of the IP Index
• The United States received the highest (28.5 percent) overall score, but came in third after the United Kingdom and France in the enforcement category.
• China IIP environment continued to see challenges (trade secret protection and enforcement) and it shows improvements in certain aspects of its patent regime.
• Canada’s treatment of pharmaceutical patents, copyright laws, and unwillingness to ratify international IP treaties resulted in significantly lower scores than other upper-income economies.
International IP Index is prepared by the Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) of the US Chamber of Commerce which maps the IP environment of 25 countries from around the world utilising 30 factors, which are indicative of an IP environments that fosters growth and development.
Comment
In 2010, the then-President of India declared the next 10 years to be India’s “Decade of Innovation.” Promoting innovation means protecting domestic innovators and creators, attracting world-class research and development, and creating and sustaining high-quality future jobs through a robust intellectual property (IP) system. However, recent policy, regulatory, and legal decisions have deteriorated IP rights in the country, making India an outlier in the international community.

PM launchesNational Waqf Development Corporation

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated National Waqf Development Corporation (NAWADCO) in New Delhi. Government has established NAWADCO for the development of waqf properties for the benefit of the Muslim community.

This Corporation has been established with an authorized share capital of Rs.500 Crore. It will facilitate and mobilize financial resources for setting up of facilities like schools, colleges, hospitals on waqf properties for community purposes in a transparent manner.

NAWADCO will facilitate and mobilize financial resources for the development of Waqf properties for community development purposes in a joint venture with the State / Union Territory Waqf Boards and the Mutawallis. The Waqf Boards and the Muthawallis were not having the financial resources to develop the properties leading to encroachments.

There are more than 4.9 lakh registered waqf properties in India today which fetch an annual income of about Rs.163 crore. Many of these properties have the potential of generating considerable returns, which in turn could be used for the socio-economic development of the Muslim community. As per the estimates of the Sachar Committee, if these properties are properly developed, they could fetch an annual income of about Rs. 12000 crore, assuming an annual return of 10 percent on the value of the property. It is this vast potential that NAWADCO will strive to realize.

Government has also recently amended the Waqf Act. The amendments are expected to bring transparency in administration of waqf properties and provide an enabling environment for the development and utilization of waqf lands to the benefit of the Muslim community.

The amended Act has particularly strengthened the role of Central Waqf Council (CWC), which was established to advise the Government on matters pertaining to the working of State Waqf Boards and proper administration of waqf properties. The Council is now empowered to issue directives to State Waqf Boards on their performance, particularly on their financial performance, survey of waqf properties, maintenance of waqf deeds, and prevention of encroachment of waqf properties.

Keeping in view the need to prevent their alienation, ‘Sale’, ‘Gift’, ‘Mortgage’ and ‘Exchange’ of waqf properties have been made void ab initio. The process of leasing of waqf properties has been made transparent.

56th annual Grammy Awards for 2014

The Recording Academy announced the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on 26 January 2014.
This year the Grammy Awards weren't just about the music and they were also about making a statement in the same-sex marriage debate.

Category
Album
Name of Artist
Album of the year
Random Access Memories

Daft Punk
Record of the year
Get Lucky
Daft Punk , Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
New artist

Macklemore and  Ryan Lewis

Song of the year
Royals
Lorde

Children’s album
Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well
Jennifer Gasoi
Pop solo performance
Royals
Lorde


About Grammy Awards:
The Grammy awards are the recording industry’s most prestigious award presented annually by The Recording Academy.The Recording Academy also known as The National Academy of Recording Arts & Science in United States was established in 1957.
The Grammy Awards are truly a peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement.
The Grammy Awards presentation brings together thousands of creative and technical professionals in the recording industry from all over the world.

Queen Latifah won 2014 Matrix Award

Rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah won the 2014 Matrix Award on 25th January 2014. New York Women in Communications presented the 2014 Matrix Awards to honor seven remarkable women who have changed the world, through their work in the communications industry. The Matrix Awards is recognized by the communications and entertainment communities as one of the most outstanding and prestigious events of the year. The Matrix Awards are given by New York Women in Communications to honour females who change the world.

Dana Elaine Owens, better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, model, comedienne, television producer, record producer, actress, and talk show hostess. She has long been considered one of hip-hop's pioneer feminists.

Saina won Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title

Saina Nehwal won the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix title 2014 on 26th January. Sania beat P V Sindhu 21-14, 21-17 in the final held at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The win was Sania’s third straight win over Sindhu. Sania’s last title was Denmark Open in 2012 against Juliane Schenk of Germany. At present Saina is ranked ninth whereas P V Sindhu is ranked eleventh in world ranking of women singles.

Ela Gandhi honored with Amadelkufa in South Africa

Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi was honored with Amadelkufa in South Africa on 26th January 2014. She was honored for her lifetime contribution to the freedom struggle. Amdelkufa in Zulu language means Sacrifice.

She was honored along with other two Indian-origin South Africans. The other two are Sunny Singh and Mac Maharaj. This trio of Indian origin was part of veterans who played active role in the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). The Umkhonto we Sizwe was the armed wing of the African National Congress. 

Umkhonto we Sizwe's former members were incorporated into the South African defense force after 1994, when democracy came in existence in the country, followed by the release of Nelson Mandela. Mandela was the first democratically-elected president of South Africa.

Uttar Pradesh government launched Samajwadi pension scheme

Uttar Pradesh government launched Samajwadi pension scheme on 28 January 2014. The scheme will benefit over 40 lakh families. Under the scheme pension from 500 rupees to 700 rupees will be given to beneficiaries.
UP government also decided to make 1.70 Shiksha Mitra as teachers. The Shiksha mitras are teaching in primary schools for a long time and demanding their regularization as teachers.
Besides, it also decided to modernize police stations and control rooms in Gautam Budha Nagar and the project will be funded by Nodia authority.

India Post to install 3000 ATM & 1.35 lakh micro-ATM

India Post announced to install as many as 3000 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and 1.35 lakh micro-ATMs by September 2015 on 27 January 2014. The facility will be available for savings account holders of post offices across the country.

Initially, three ATMs were to be installed in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore by 5 February 2014.

After six months of launch of the service, India Post might get interoperability permission from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). After that India Post will join the National Financial Switch, which will benefit India Post account holders to transact at the banks' ATMs and vice versa.

The ATMs can be used only by 26 crore savings account-holders who save with the postal department.

India Post is working with software major Infosys on this project.

The micro ATMs will be handheld devices to be operated at the post office level while the ATM will be similar to the one operated by any commercial bank.

Postal savings are worth around 6.05 trillion rupees, which is half the savings in the largest lender SBI and more than double that of the largest private sector lender ICICI Bank.

The postal department, which has 1.55 lakh post offices over 90% of which are in villages, offers the savings account to people across the country and pays an interest of 4% per annum for such deposits. The account offers cheque facility at present.

Wawrinka and Li won Australian Open Singles Title

Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka won his first Grand Slam title with victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. The 28-year-old becomes only the second Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title after 17-time champion Roger Federer. He is the first man outside the 'big four' of Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to win a Grand Slam since Juan Martin Del Potro at the 2009 US Open.

In Women’s singles, fourth seed and last year’s runner up at the Australian Open Li Na won her second Grand Slam title beating Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (3), 6-0. With this victory she became the oldest woman to clinch the title here in the Open era and the first player from China to win Australian Open women's singles crown.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Padma Awards 2014

The President of India has approved conferment of 127 Padma Awards including one duo case (counted as one) as per the list below. The list comprises two Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 101 Padma Shri Awardees. 27 of the Awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and Posthumous Awardees.
Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year. The awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan sometime around March/ April.
Padma Vibhushan
Sl No.
Name
Discipline
State/ Domicile
1.      
Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra
2.      
Shri B.K.S. Iyengar
Others-Yoga
Maharashtra
Padma Bhushan
Sl No.
Name
Discipline
State/ Domicile

  1.  
Prof. Gulam Mohammed Sheikh
Art - Painting
Gujarat

  1.  
Begum Parveen Sultana
Art - Classical Singing
Maharashtra

  1.  
Shri T.H. Vinayakram
Art - Ghatam Artist
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Shri Kamala Haasan
Art-Cinema
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Justice Dalveer Bhandari
Public Affairs
Delhi

  1.  
Prof. Padmanabhan Balaram
Science and Engineering
Karnataka

  1.  
Prof. Jyeshtharaj Joshi
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra

  1.  
Dr. Madappa Mahadevappa
Science and Engineering
Karnataka

  1.  
Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami
Science and Engineering
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Vinod Prakash Sharma
Science and Engineering
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Radhakrishnan Koppillil
Science and Engineering
Karnataka

  1.  
Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Ms. Anita Desai
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Dhirubhai Thaker
Literature and Education
Gujarat

  1.  
Shri Vairamuthu Ramasamy Thevar
Literature and Education
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Shri Ruskin Bond
Literature and Education
Uttarakhand 

  1.  
Shri Pullela Gopichand
Sports - Badminton
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Shri Leander Paes
Sports - Tennis
Maharashtra

  1.  
Shri Vijayendra Nath Kaul
Civil Service
Delhi

  1.  
Late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma
Public Affairs
Uttar Pradesh #

  1.  
Late Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna
Science and Engineering
Andhra Pradesh #

  1.  
Prof. Anisuzzaman
Literature and Education
Bangladesh*

  1.  
Prof. Lloyd I. Rudolph
Literature and Education
USA*$
Prof. Susanne H. Rudolph
Literature and Education
USA*$

  1.  
Dr. (Smt.) Neelam Kler
Medicine - Neonatology
Delhi
Padma Shri
Sl No.
Name
Discipline
State/ Domicile

  1.  
Shri Mohammad Ali Baig
Art - Theatre
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Ms. Nayana Apte Joshi
Art -
Maharashtra

  1.  
Shri Musafir Ram Bhardwaj
Art - Instrumental Music - Pauna Manjha
Himachal Pradesh 

  1.  
Ms. Sabitri Chatterjee
Art - Film
West Bengal

  1.  
Prof. Biman Bihari Das
Art - Sculptor
Delhi

  1.  
Shri Sunil Das
Art - Painting
West Bengal

  1.  
Smt. Elam Endira Devi
Art - Manipuri Dance
Manipur

  1.  
Shri Vijay Ghate
Art - Instrumental Music - Tabla
Maharashtra

  1.  
Smt Rani Karnaa
Art - Kathak
West Bengal

  1.  
Shri Bansi Kaul
Art - Theatre
Jammu & Kashmir

  1.  
Ustad Moinuddin Khan
Art - Instrumental Music-Sarangi Player
Rajasthan

  1.  
Ms. Geeta Mahalik
Art - Odishi Dance
Delhi

  1.  
Shri Paresh Maity
Art - Painting
Delhi

  1.  
Shri Ram Mohan
Art - Film Animation
Maharashtra

  1.  
Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik
Art - Sand Artist
Orissa 

  1.  
Shri Paresh Rawal
Art - Cinema and Theatre
Maharashtra

  1.  
Shri Wendell Augustine Rodricks
Art - Fashion Designing
Goa

  1.  
Prof. Kalamandalam Sathyabhama
Art – Mohini Attam
Kerala

  1.  
Shri Anuj (Ramanuj) Sharma
Art - Performing Art
Chhattisgarh

  1.  
Shri Santosh Sivan
Art - Film
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Ms. Supriya Devi
Art-Bengali Cinema
West Bengal

  1.  
Ms. Sooni Taraporevala
Art- Script Writing
Maharashtra

  1.  
Ms. Vidya Balan
Art-Cinema
Maharashtra

  1.  
Smt. Durga Jain
Social Work
Maharashtra

  1.  
Dr. Rama Rao Anumolu
Social Work
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Dr. Brahm Dutt
Social Work
Haryana

  1.  
Shri Mukul Chandra Goswami
Social Work
Assam

  1.  
Shri J.L. Kaul
Social Work
Delhi

  1.  
Shri Mathurbhai Madhabhai Savani
Social Work
Gujarat

  1.  
Shri Tashi Tondup
Public Affairs
Jammu and Kashmir

  1.  
Dr. Hasmukh Chamanlal Shah
Public Affairs
Gujarat

  1.  
Shri Sekhar Basu
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra

  1.  
Shri Madhavan Chandradathan
Science and Engineering
Kerala

  1.  
Prof. Sushanta Kumar Dattagupta
Science and Engineering
West Bengal

  1.  
Dr. Ravi Bhushan Grover
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra

  1.  
Prof. Eluvathingal Devassy Jemmis
Science and Engineering
Karnataka

  1.  
Shri Ramkrishna V. Hosur
Science and Engineering
Maharashtra

  1.  
Dr. Ajay Kumar Parida
Science and Engineering
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Dr. Malapaka Yajneswara Satyanarayana Prasad
Science and Engineering
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Shri Kiran Kumar Alur Seelin
Science and Engineering
Gujarat

  1.  
Dr. Brahma Singh
Science and Engineering
Delhi

  1.  
Prof. Vinod Kumar Singh
Science and Engineering
Madhya Pradesh

  1.  
Dr. Govindan Sundararajan
Science and Engineering
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Ramaswamy R. Iyer
Science and Engineering
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Jayanta Kumar Ghosh
Science and Engineering
West Bengal

  1.  
Shri Ravi Kumar Narra
Trade and Industry
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Shri Rajesh Saraiya
Trade and Industry
Maharashtra

  1.  
Ms. Mallika Srinivasan
Trade and Industry
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Shri Pratap Govindrao Pawar
Trade and Industry
Maharashtra

  1.  
Dr. Kiritkumar Mansukhlal Acharya
Medicine - Dermatology
Gujarat

  1.  
Dr. Balram Bhargava
Medicine - Cardiology
Uttar Pradesh

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Indra Chakravarty
Medicine - Health & Hygiene
West Bengal

  1.  
Dr. Ramakant Krishnaji Deshpande
Medicine - Oncology
Maharashtra

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Pawan Raj Goyal
Medicine - Chest Disease
Haryana

  1.  
Prof. Amod Gupta
Medicine - Opthalmology
Haryana

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Daya Kishore Hazra
Medicine
Uttar Pradesh

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Thenumgal Poulose Jacob
Medicine - Vascular Surgery
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Shashank R. Joshi
Medicine - Endocrinology
Maharashtra

  1.  
Prof. Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah
Medicine - Unani Medicine
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Dr. Milind Vasant Kirtane
Medicine - ENT Surgeory
Maharashtra

  1.  
Dr. Lalit Kumar
Medicine - oncology
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Mohan Mishra
Medicine
Bihar 

  1.  
Dr. M. Subhadra Nair
Medicine - Gyneacology
Kerala

  1.  
Dr. Ashok Panagariya
Medicine - Neurology
Rajasthan

  1.  
Dr. Narendra Kumar Pandey
Medicine - Surgery
Haryana

  1.  
Dr. Sunil Pradhan
Medicine - Neurology
Uttar Pradesh

  1.  
Dr. Ashok Rajgopal
Medicine - Orthopaedics
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Kamini A. Rao
Medicine - Reproductive Medicine
Karnataka

  1.  
Dr. Sarbeswar Sahariah
Medicine - Surgery
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Prof. Om Prakash Upadhyaya
Medicine -
Punjab

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Mahesh Verma
Medicine - Dental Science
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. J.S. Titiyal
Medicine- Opthalmology
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Nitish Naik
Medicine- Cardiology
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Surbrat Kumar Acharya
Medicine- Gastroentrology
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Rajesh Kumar Grover
Medicine-Oncology
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Naheed Abidi
Literature and Education
Uttar Pradesh

  1.  
Prof. Ashok Chakradhar
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Shri Chhakchhuak Chhuanvawra
Literature and Education
Mizoram

  1.  
Shri Keki N. Daruwalla
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Prof. Ganesh Narayandas Devi
Literature and Education
Gujarat

  1.  
Prof. Kolakaluri Enoch
Literature and Education
Andhra Pradesh

  1.  
Prof. (Dr.) Ved Kumari Ghai
Literature and Education
Jammu and Kashmir

  1.  
Smt. Manorama Jafa
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Prof. Rehana Khatoon
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. Waikhom Gojen Meeitei
Literature and Education
Manipur

  1.  
Shri Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri
Literature and Education
Kerala

  1.  
Prof. Dinesh Singh
Literature and Education
Delhi

  1.  
Dr. (Mrs.) P. Kilemsungla
Literature and Education
Nagaland

  1.  
Ms. Anjum Chopra
Sports - Cricket
Delhi

  1.  
Ms. Sunil Dabas
Sports - Kabbadi
Haryana

  1.  
Shri Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu
Sports - Mountaineering
Delhi

  1.  
Ms. Dipika Rebecca Pallikal
Sports - Squash
Tamil Nadu

  1.  
Shri H. Boniface Prabhu
Sports - Wheelchair Tennis
Karnataka

  1.  
Shri Yuvraj Singh
Sports - Cricket
Haryana

  1.  
Smt. Mamta Sodha
Sports - Mountaineering
Haryana

  1.  
Ms Parveen Talha
Civil Service
Uttar Pradesh

  1.  
Late Dr. Narendra Achyut Dabholkar
Social Work
Maharashtra#

  1.  
Shri Ashok Kumar Mago
Trade and Industry
USA*

  1.  
Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee
Medicine-Oncology
USA*

  1.  
Dr. Vamsi Mootha
Medicine - Biomedical Research
USA*

  1.  
Dr. Sengaku Mayeda
Literature and Education
Japan*

Note* indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs.
            # indicates awardees in the posthumous category.
            $ indicates one duo case. (treated as one award.)