India TV honours nation's bravehearts with Salaam India Awards

New Delhi: Sept 30: As part of its effort to honour the bravehearts of the nation with the first edition of the “Officer's Choice Salaam India Awards”, India TV has instituted a bravery award in the memory of Jyoti Singh, the brave girl who lost her life after fighting the gruesome gang rape in a bus in Delhi but awakened the society and the nation on crime against women. Jyoti Singh Bravery Awards were also presented at a gala ceremony in New Delhi on Saturday(Sept 28). Other categories for which the Awards were given away included Bravery, Gallantry & Special Awards etc. The 13 winners included Shareef Ibrahim Kutty for risking his life to save many innocent lives, Late Barun Biswas (posthumous) for his crusades against anti-social elements & eventually putting up his life for the cause he lived for, Captain Bikramjeet Singh for his exemplary display of valour during the recent Uttarakhand crises. Lakshmi for her decisive fight against the menace of acid attacks was one of the three winners of the Jyoti Singh Awards. India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, in his address, congratulated the winners and dedicated the awards as a salute to bravehearts of the nation who through their selfless & altruistic acts have kept the trust running into humanity. He also said that such deeds inculcate a spirit of courage and humanity among fellow citizens. The winners were decided on the basis of a stringent process that included call for entries, short-listing by a high-power editorial board and final winners' selection by a Grand Jury headed by noted Jurist Ram Jethmalani. The jury included India TV Chairman and Editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma, first Woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi, Retired Army Chief, Gen. V.K. Singh and Retired Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Querashi. Amongst the powerful battery of dignitaries present included personalities like L.K. Advani, Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani, Meenakshi Lekhi, Gulam Nabi Azad, Harish Rawat, Vijay Bahuguna, Shakeel Ahmed, Farooq Abdullah, Gen. VK Singh, KC Tyagi of JDU, Maninderjit Singh Bitta, Sudhindra Bhadoria, BSP and Gulshan Grover etc. Senior BJP Leader, L.K. Advani said, “I am glad that Rajatji initiated Salaam India Awards to honour the extraordinary courage displayed by ordinary citizens. As proven by the exceptional individuals here, bravery should not only be a characteristic to the Defence personnel. For the cause of the great nation, that India is, individuals from every walk of life need to embody bravery and courage. This initiative by India TV is will act like a catalyst.”Union Health Minister, Gulam Nabi Azad, observed, “Unlike other awards, Salaam India Awards have the genuine potential to inspire individuals to step forward and replicate such exemplary acts of bravery. A great benchmark initiative by India TV.” Ritu Dhawan, MD and CEO, India TV stressed upon the need of such initiatives as humble but necessary steps towards a safer & cordial India. She also promised that India TV as a responsible news channel will keep on working on such initiatives that not only felicitate the extraordinaire but also at the same time motivates the country at large. Officer's Choice packaged drinking water is the sole presenting sponsor on the initiative.List of Winners: Bravery Awards Ms. Harbinder Kaur Mr. Shareef Ebrahim Kutty Constable Ganesh Manohar Sonawane Gallantry Awards Ms. Akanksha Gaute Ms. Arunima Sinha Late Mr. Shri Barun Biswas Jyoti Singh Awards Ms. Razia Sultan Ms. Varsha Deshpande Ms. Lakshmi Special Awards Addl. S.P - Navneet Singh Bhullar Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyaan Captain Bikramjeet Col. Ajay Kothiyal, KC, SC, VSM