Two Indians receive Magsaysay awards
Manila, Aug 31 : Two Indian nationals, Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk, on Friday were given the Ramon Magsaysay award, popularly known as Asia's Nobel Prize.
At a ceremony in Manila, Cambodian activist Youk Chhang, Filipino Howard Dee, Vietnam's Vo Thi Hoang Yen and East Timore's Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz were also honored for their work.
"All are unafraid to take on large causes. All have refused to give up despite meagre resources, daunting adversity and strong opposition," Carmencita Abella, president of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said, Efe reported.
Vatwani has dedicated his life for rescuing mentally ill people from the streets of India - who number around 400,000 according to estimates - and providing them with shelter and treatment through his Shraddha Rehabilitaion Foundation.
Since 1988, Vatwani has helped around 7,000 mental patients, reuniting many of them with their families.
Wangchuk has been recognised for "his uniquely systematic, collaborative and community-driven reform of learning systems in remote northern India, thus improving the life opportunities of Ladakhi youth, and his constructive engagement of all sectors in local society to harness science and culture creatively for economic progress, thus setting an example for minority peoples in the world".
Chhang survived the large-scale violence and oppression of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and returned to his country after living in exile to head the Documentation Center, which has gathered evidence about the regime's crimes against humanity.
The institution has collected and digitized around a million documents since 1995 from around 23,000 forced-labour camps, where around two million people were killed, and recorded the testimonies of around 10,000 victims and aggressors.
Dee, the former Philippine ambassador to the Vatican and Malta, as well as a former negotiator with the communist rebels, was honoured for working for peace through sustainable development and poverty reduction in areas affected by armed conflict.
Dee founded the Assisi Development Foundation in 1975 along with Jesuit priest Francisco Araneta and the organization has carried out more than 4,100 projects benefiting around 10.5 million Filipinos.
Martins Cruz established the Secular Institute of Brothers and Sisters in Christ, which takes care of the poorest sections of the society in East Timor with projects in health, education and agriculture, while Vietnam's Vo Thi Hoang Yen has dedicated herself to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
