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Noted Musician A R Rahman has been chosen for the Indira Gandhi Award National Integration for the year 2009. Rahman shares the award with Narainpur Ashram branch of Ramkrishna Mission in Chhattisgarh for their services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country, a release from the All India Congress Committee said.
This year the award consists of a citation and cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will present the award to both the winners on October 31 in New Delhi, the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi.
Prominent among those who have received the award in the past include Rajiv Gandhi (posthumously), former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, former Presidents A P J Abdul Kalam and Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, film-maker Shyam Bengal, lyricist Javed Akhtar and writer Mahashweta Devi. |
A number of institutions like Paramdham Ashram, Wardha, Ram-Rahim Nagar Slum Dwellers Association, Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust and Gandhi Institute of Public Affairs have also received this award in the past. The award was instituted by the Congress in its centenary year to give recognition to outstanding contribution to the cause of national inegration and understanding by individuals and institutions.