Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, mountaineer Arunima Sinha and satirist Ashok Chakradhar were among 46 eminent persons honoured with Yash Bharti award today by the UP government for their exemplary contribution in the field of art, culture, cinema and sports.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, while presenting the awards, said, "The Samajwadi Party government revived the awards, which was started by party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, to acknowledge the talent in the state and keep them motivated."
"Those who got this award have not only earned a name for themselves in the state but also in the country through their hard work and dedication...This tradition was started by 'netaji' (Mulayam Singh)," he said.
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Referring to the previous Mayawati government, he said, "There was a time when these awards were stopped...When people gave us (SP party) a chance, we not only revived Yash Bharti awards but all other such felicitations which were discontinued."
The Yash Bharti award carries a citation and Rs 11 lakh in cash.
Those honoured today include comedian Raju Srivastava, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, mountaineer Arunima Sinha, Bhojpuri singer and film personality Dinesh Lal Nirahua, shayar (poet) Anwar Jalalpuri and satirist Ashok Chakradhar.
Speaking on the occasion, Mulayam said that he thought of starting these awards after seeing the "sad plight" of Hindi litterateur Munshi Premchand and coming to know that only 25 people were present at his last rites.
"It's when I realised that those making a contribution to society should be given their due honour," he said.
"These awards began in 1997," he said, adding that there are suggestions to include government officers in the award list.
"Yash Bharti awards were started to not only motivate individuals but also the entire society," he said.
Referring to the farmers' conditions in the country, he said a lot will have to be done to improve the situation. "Nobody works as hard as the farmers in India...There was a time when we had to depend on imported foodgrains, but today farmers toil hard to feed the country and themselves go hungry.
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