Srinagar: Cricket all-rounder Parvez Rasool, who made his India debut recently, top Kashmiri folk singer Rashid Hafiz, bureaucrats and journalists were among 71 personalities who received the Jammu and Kashmir State Awards and Chief Minister's Gold Medals for the years 2011 to 2014.
Rasool, who got his first India ODI cap in a game during Bangladesh series, got the state award for outstanding sportsperson for 2013. The cricketer could not attend the investiture ceremony as he is currently part of India A team touring Australia.
Noted folk singer Rashid Hafiz, who has performed across the country, received the award from Governor N N Vohra in presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Vohra presented State Awards in different categories to 57 recipients, while Omar gave away Gold Medals and Tabinda Gani Award for bravery to 14 awardees.
Another renowned singer Ghulam Nabi Bulbul, Deepali Wattal and Triloke Koul were given awards in the performing arts category. Other notable awardee was Abdul Latief, a resident of Thatharka village of Gool in Ramban district of Jammu region, for shooting dead a Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militant who along
with associates intruded into his house in 2005 and opened indiscriminate firing resulting in the death of his brother. Om Goswami and Ghulam Nabi Khayal (Literature), Nazir Ahmad Mir and Manzoor Ahmed Naqashgir (Arts and Crafts), Ladakh Heart Foundation Society, Leh (Social Reforms and Empowerment),
Madhav Lal, Tanveer Jehan, Rajinder Singh and Uttar Kumar Padha (Meritorious Public Service), were also given the awards.
Renowned cardiologist S Jalal, who was killed in a militant attack last year, and veteran journalist Sham Koul were given the awards posthumously
