President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards to the Indian diaspora for their contributions and achievements in various fields, on Wednesday.
Three Indian expats from the UAE are amongst those who won the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award the highest honour conferred on Indian diaspora.
President Kovind, conferred the award to Girish Pant, Surender Singh Kandhari and Dr Zulekha Daud and other awardees at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention .
Girish Pant, a social worker has been instrumental in rescuing several Indian sailors stranded in UAE waters. He has also helped several other Indians in distress in coordination with the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple, is a philanthropist, businessman and a long-term Dubai resident
Dr Zulekha, founder and chairperson of Zulekha Healthcare Group, who came to the UAE in 1964, is believed to be the first female practising doctor in the country.
History: The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Honour/Award) is an award constituted by the Ministry of overseas indian Affairs, Government of India in conjunction with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non -Resident Indian Day), to honour exceptional and meritorious contribution in their chosen field/profession. The award is given by the President of India. It started in the year 2003.
-Sai Kumar
