HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, February 2: Nongstoin Social Service Society (NSSS), among the reputed non-profit organisations in Meghalaya, has won the 26th edition of Mahaveer Award 2023 under the category of ‘Community & Social Service’ for making a positive impact in the lives of the underprivileged and marginalised people of the tribal and rural population in West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills, and East Garo Hills districts of the state with a wide range of interventions ranging from offering life skills training to ushering in good farming practices.
Instituted by Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation to identify, encourage and honour people doing selfless services, the award carries a cash prize of INR 10 lakh, a commendatory citation, and a memento. It will be presented in a grand ceremony to be held soon. Notably, Mahaveer Award is presented every year to one NGO each in the categories of non-violence & vegetarianism, education, medicine, and community & social service. The 2023 awards for ‘Non-Violence & Vegetarianism, and Education’ went to Dhyan Foundation, New Delhi, and Friends of Tribal Society of West Bengal, respectively – while the award for Medicine honors Jan Swasthya Sahyog of Chhattisgarh.
The foundation had received 324 nominations for Mahaveer Awards 2023 from all over the country, enlisting the help of district administrators, legislators, bureaucrats, educationists, media, social workers, parliamentarians, and other eminent people. The awardees were selected by an eminent jury headed by Justice MN Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India. Talking about the Nongstoin Social Service Society,
Sugalchand Jain, founder of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation, said, “We are happy to recognize Nongstoin Social Service Society with the Mahaveer Award. This NGO is changing the lives of tribal and rural communities for the better by addressing a broad spectrum of developmental needs such as economic empowerment, mainstreaming children, women, and persons/children with disabilities, and eradicating malaria and tuberculosis. Its interventions are multidimensional: it operates childline centers; promotes integrated farming systems; runs a herbal medicinal school, and provides rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities, and so on. We hope the services of this organisation will continue to inspire thousands of individuals and other organisations. Our congratulations also go to other awardees. We hope this recognition will go a long way in mobilising the support the awardees need from the public.”
