Foundation announces 'International Atal Awards 2023'
New Delhi (PTI): A foundation working to foster the legacy of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday announced an award that will celebrate his remarkable contributions to humanity.
The 'International Atal Awards 2023' will be given to 11 individuals across 11 categories for their "unparalleled contribution", Greater Noida-based Atal Foundation said at a press conference here.
It will take place on December 25 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Vajpayee.
"The event will be organised at Rashtrapati Bhavan," it said in a statement later.
Aparna Singh, the national president of the Atal Foundation, said, "Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee's legacy is a guiding light for our nation. Through the International Atal Awards 2023, we are committed to highlighting his enduring spirit on the global stage"
"Atal Ji's principles and vision transcend boundaries, and through this prestigious programme, we are uniting people from around the world to celebrate his remarkable contributions to humanity," she said.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
