Around 20 lakh people from across Maharashtra and other states are expected to attend the Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2022 to be conferred on renowned social reformer Dattatreya Narayan Dharmadhikari, 77, popularly known as Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, tomorrow (April 16).
Appasaheb helms Dr Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Pratishthan which was instituted by his father, late Narayan Vishnu Dharmadhikari, popularly known as Nanasaheb.
Mega worldwide campaigns
Appasaheb has been instrumental in mega worldwide campaigns involving tree plantations, blood donation, free medical camps, job fairs, cleanliness drives, superstition eradication and de-addiction centres. The Pratishthan entered the Guinness World Record in December 2013 by conducting the biggest medical camp with 1,571 doctors and over 1,52,000 participants.
Know the background of Maharashtra Bhusahan Award
Maharashtra Bhushan is the highest civilian award presented annually by the Government of Maharashtra. It was instituted after the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came to power in 1995. It was initially conferred every year in the fields of literature, arts, sport and science. Later, the fields of social work, journalism, public administration and health services were included. At present, the award carries a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, a memento and a citation.
Raigad Guardian Minister Uday Samant has been holding regular meetings with local government agencies in preparation for the event and has appealed to make it a success.
The ceremony will be held in Kharghar
The ceremony will be held at Corporate Park in Kharghar, spread over a 306 acres with seating capacity of around 18.36 lakh. People will reach the venue through public transport like buses, railways, taxis and private vehicles. The district administration has created parking facility for around 16,785 vehicles. Nearly 77,000 people are expected to come by their own transport, as per rough estimates.
Preparations in full swing
With such a large number of followers expected, a total of 55 medical centres have been set up in and around the venue and have been functional since April 14. A team of 128 doctors, 64 nurses, 64 pharmacists, and 320 volunteers are available 24X7. In addition, there will be 59 ambulances available at the venue. Out of them, 32 are simple and will be deployed at 32 medical centres and two ambulances will be kept in the parking lot. Fourteen other ambulances will be devoted to cardiac patients, with seven of them deployed at intensive care medical centres. Five cardiac ambulances will be reserved for emergencies.
Beds have been reserved in all major and minor hospitals in the city. A total of 100 normal beds and 10 ICU beds have been reserved in major private hospitals like MGM, Reliance, Fortis and Apollo in Navi Mumbai and Panvel. In addition, 25% of beds have been reserved in the remaining hospitals. Adequate water and ORS have been arranged keeping in mind the possibility of dehydration during scorching summer heat.
Amid the rising number of Covid cases, the Raigad district administration has made it mandatory for everyone to wear masks at the event.
