Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, will be conferred with the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune on August 1.
The award was constituted by the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust in 1983 to honour the legacy of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, popularly known as Lokmanya Tilak.
It is awarded to people who have worked for the progress and development of the nation and whose contribution can only be seen as remarkable.
It is presented every year on the 1st of August – Lokmanya Tilak’s death anniversary.
Last year, the award was presented to social activist, writer and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty for her contribution to rural development, literature and social work.
Before Murty, the Lokmanya Tilak National Award was given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recognition of his exceptional leadership and his efforts in fostering a sense of patriotism among citizens.
The award has previously been presented to luminaries such as Pranab Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indira Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Sharad Pawar, Rahul Bajaj, Cyrus Poonawalla, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Verghese Kurien, M.S. Swaminathan, Sheila Dikshit and Tessy Thomas, among others.
Gadkari will be the 43rd recipient of the award. The award carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh and a citation.
