Preethi Srinivasan, the former State under-19 cricket captain, was awarded
Kalpana Chawla Award from Tamil Nadu. Preethi Srinivasan was the youngest to play in the Tamil Nadu women's cricket team at the age of 18. She was the former State under-19 cricket team captain. At the age of 18 she met with an accident that left her a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair. (A person affected by paralysis of all four limbs is called quadriplegic)
Preethi set up
“Soul Free”, a public charitable trust to help the severely disabled live a life of dignity and purpose. It aims to spread knowledge on spinal cord injuries to every school, college and public so that people understand the gravity of the condition.
APJ Abdul Kalam Award
Scholars in fields of education, science and medicine are honoured every year with A.P.J.Abdul Kalam Award . S.P.Thyagarajan, former Vice-Chancellor at the University of Madras was with the A P J Abdul Kalam award for the current year (2017). He is an eminent scientist, educationist and internationally acclaimed researcher. He has to his credit 345 research publications, authored 20 books and has eight patents to his credit. Thyagarajan discovered a drug for treating chronic hepatitis B. Now patented and sold under the brand name ViroHep, it is manufactured using Keezhanelli (Phyllanthus amarus) herb, well known in Tamil Nadu.
Good Governance Awards
Chief Minister of Tamilnadu honoured persons of exemplary services during the 71st Independence Day celebrations.
- Awards were given to Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commercial Taxes.
- Dr K. Narayanasamy, head of the department of hepatology at Madras Medical College, was presented with a certificate of appreciation for setting up the first of its kind liver clinic in Tamil Nadu.
- Sathyagopal , Principal secretary, Commissioner of Revenue Administration was honoured with award for his innovative process of watering roots of the trees directly while growing them.
- Dr V. M. Sankaran , Opthalmic surgeon was awarded the state award for the Best Doctor for conducting free 900 cataract surgeries and 310 corneal transplants. He has served the differently-abled in the state by collecting 3,300 eyes through the eye bank
- MedIndia Charitable Trust was chosen for the Best Institution award
- Organisation for Rehabilitation of the Blind in Tiruchy (ORBIT) got the Best Private Employer award.
- The Salem District Central Cooperative Bank, Salem was presented the best district central cooperative bank.
- P.Elayapari, founder of Cure Trust and Research Centre, Madurai was honoured with Best Social Worker award.
These awards include 10 grams of medal and certification.
Women Empowerment
Krishnammal Jagannathan was conferred an award for outstanding work done for women. Krishnnammal was born to a landless Adi Dravida family in 1926 at Ayyankottai, Dindigul district. She has been serving the Adi Dravidas for sustainable development.
Local Body Governance Awards
CM Edappadi Palanisamy announced the Tirunelveli corporation as the best municipal corporation in the state.
- Satyamangalam municipality in Erode and Ponnampatti town panchayat in Tiruchy bagged the best awards in the local bodies' category.
- Among municipalities Poonamallee and Thirumangalam bagged the second and third prizes.
- Similarly, Irugur and Nambiyur bagged the second and third best town panchayats awards for effective administration.
State Youth Awards
- K.Padmanaban . organizer of “No Food Waste” and web based assssitance scheme “Ethu Dharma” received the award. “No Food Waste” received State Youth Award. No Food Waste is an edible food Recovery Project which serves the surplus foods from Weddings, Parties and other events to the hungry and deprived.
- Umaiyalingam from Virudhunagar district received the award for women empowerment. He has been making efforts to recover women working in dangerous cracker manufacturing industries, and helping them become entrepreneurs.
- Sripathy thangam of Thirunelveli district for his efforts in sanitary works and elimination of environmentally damaging Prosopis juliflora (Seemai Karuvelai) trees.