Farmers, special athletes, PSEB topper on award list

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 25

As many as 115 distinguished persons will be presented awards during the Republic Day function to be held tomorrow at the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here.

Among the awardees is Amarjit Anand, expert member, State Divyangan Advisory Board, Punjab, and state PwD coordinator, who will be awarded for his outstanding work for people with disabilities. Lt General JS Dhillon, VSM (retd), DG (education), Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, for his contribution to the field of education, social works, environmental improvement and other activities. Dr Mukesh Mittal (poultry pathologist), who was engaged in avian influenza surveillance in northern states and established forensic meet testing lab. Ambika Kumari, a clerk at the Children’s Home, Gandhi Vanita Ashram, Jalandhar, for looking after 100 girls in the ashram for the past one year, that too in the absence of other staff members.

Awinash Kumar and Lachmann Singh, sarpanch of Bajda and Goul Pind villages, respectively, and farmers Gurdev Singh and Sukhwant Singh too will receive the awards as an appreciation for not burning crop residue. Farmer Baldev Singh would also receive the award for the same and for farming 90 per cent of potato and 10 per cent of wheat.

Sports achievers figuring on the list include Bhavnis, a special athlete from the District Special Olympics Association and the Chaanan Vocational and Skill Training, Ishwinder Singh for his outstanding performance in the 22nd Punjab State Special Olympics held at Rayat Bahra University, Gurjeet Kaur (athletics), who won a bronze medal in relay race at the World Special Olympics – Summer Games 2019 at Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Mayuri Dhanraj, international cyclist (student), who got three silver medals in the Khelo India Youth Games 2020, represented the Indian cycling team in the Track Asia Cup 2018, won two gold in the time trial event and got silver medals in the GNDU inter-college track cycling championship. Wrestler Jaggi, an 86 year-old sports trainer, will also get the award.

With a score of 445 out of 450, Muskan Soni, a student of KRM DAV Collegiate Senior Secondary School, Nakodar, the state PSEB topper in the science stream, and Dr SS Kairon, for working for over 30 years in the eradication of pulse polio in Jalandhar, will also be awarded. Likewise, 24 teachers and 15 police personnel have also been included in the list of awardees.