Indian Navy commander, captain win Asian of The Year award for Kerala flood rescue
Singapore, Nov 28: An Indian Navy commander and a captain were among those honoured at the 'Asian of The Year' awards here on Wednesday, acknowledging their selfless service and bravery in rescue operations during the devastating floods in Kerala.
Commander (Pilot) Vijay Varma and Captain (Pilot) P Rajkumar were honoured for their death-defying rescue flying during the floods earlier this year.
Commander Varma, 42, who was widely praised for leading the rescue in a district of the port city of Kochi, winched up a heavily pregnant woman who gave birth just after being airlifted to safety.
Captain Rajkumar, 54, winched 26 people up from a rooftop in Kochi while hovering between trees and other houses just two days after receiving a medal for saving a fisherman last year.
A video of his Sea King helicopter pulling up a wheelchair-bound pregnant woman was widely shared on social media.
Rajkumar ended up with 32 people on board.
Together with dozens of helicopters, Indian Navy pilots undertook high-risk missions to save people from rooftops and isolated land as the southern state battled the severe flood crisis in August.
"This year, the editors are pleased to honour the many men and women of courage and commitment who stepped up in the moment of greatest need," said a press release by The Straits Times daily which is associated with the awards.
Many ran towards the disaster-struck areas looking to help friends and neighbours moments after the tragedy. It is these people, together with organisations that would arrive later, that the daily would like to honour, it said.
Collectively, the award also goes to the late Ng Kok Choong, a Singaporean paraglider, for his rescue work in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Central Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Also honoured were individuals who rushed to the scene of disaster, including at the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand and Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman, National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), Indonesia.
Others awarded included the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), and Singapore NGO Mercy Relief, who operated amid large scale flooding, earthquakes and a variety of other disasters.
"They have served as a beacon of selflessness and the finest instincts of mankind - to preserve and protect the flock at the cost of their own lives, if necessary," said the release.
Warren Fernandez, editor of The Straits Times, said, "The first responders were picked after the briefest of debates because theirs was a standout case of courage and selflessness. In an Asia witnessing disasters of increasing frequency and intensity, it is clear that there is nothing like 'over there' anymore - we all are equally affected".
"These men, and the two organisations we picked, have taught us through personal example that at the end of the day security is indivisible," he said.
Now in its seventh year, The Straits Times Asian of the Year award, announced towards the end of each year, has become an important part of the Asian calendar since 2012.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
K'taka bypolls: Cong aspirants file nomination, despite party not announcing candidates
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress ticket aspirants for bypolls to Bagalkot and Davangere South Assembly segments in Karnataka filed their nominations on Friday, even as the party is yet to announce its candidates amid a fight for tickets between the contenders.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies were necessitated following the deaths of sitting Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
The nominations were filed, even as AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, held discussions in Bengaluru with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is also the party president in the state, regarding candidates for the two seats.
Later speaking to reporters, Surjewala expressed confidence about Congress winning both seats and asserted that the party was united.
The BJP has already announced Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot and Srinivas T Dasakariyappa from Davangere South, following the approval of its Central Election Committee.
The last date for filing of nominations is March 23 and elections will be held on April 9.
Shivakumar, later speaking to reporters after meeting party leaders along with Surjewala, said a list will be sent to New Delhi for the party's Central Election Committee to decide and announce the candidate.
"We have sought everyone's opinion. After discussion, we will send a list to New Delhi. Everyone (all aspirants) has said that they will work unitedly for the party, whoever the candidate is. Some, including Minister S S Mallikarjun's son, filed nominations today because it was an auspicious day, but they will abide by the party's decision," he said.
Strong competition for tickets within the Congress is reportedly the reason for the party delaying the announcement of candidates, party sources said, adding that candidates will be announced soon after taking everyone into confidence, as dissidence may hamper the prospects.
Congress' ticket aspirants Samarth Shamanur and Sadiq Pailwan filed their nominations from the Davangere South Assembly segment, even as the party is yet to announce the candidate officially.
While veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa's family and supporters are demanding that his grandson Samarth should be fielded for the Davangere South seat, which fell vacant following the former's death, there is also a strong demand from Muslims that the ticket be given to a candidate from their community, which has a significant presence in the segment.
Samarth's father S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and is in charge of Davangere district, while his mother Prabha Mallikarjun is Member of Parliament in the region. There is opposition within the Congress from some quarters against giving the ticket to the Shamanur family, which has considerable clout in the region.
Meanwhile, a few Muslim legislators and leaders led by Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan met AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, and reportedly discussed the Davangere South candidate.
Speaking to reporters, Samarth, who was accompanied by his mother Prabha Mallikarjun while filing the nomination, said he filed it today as it was an auspicious day, and expressed confidence about getting the Congress ticket, reminding them of his grandfather's contribution to building the party in the state.
He said he will file another set of nominations on Monday after officially getting a party ticket.
Sadiq Pailwan, after filing his papers, said he is a loyal party worker and filed his nomination because he has the support of people from all communities in Davangere South.
Expressing confidence about getting a party ticket, he said he will file another set of nominations as the official candidate of Congress on Monday.
In Bagalkot, although there are indications that the ticket will be given to Meti's family, there is strong disagreement among his sons and daughters, as each one of them is an aspirant, party sources said.
Meanwhile, another strong aspirant from the Congress, Govind Ballari, filed his nomination, expressing hopes that the party will give him a ticket.
According to Congress party sources, the party will likely announce its candidates for both seats at the earliest, mostly on Saturday.
After meeting with the CM and Deputy CM, Surjewala said the Congress party is united in Karnataka and also in the rest of the states.
"I am here and AICC secretaries are here. Because the Congress party believes even a single person's view point must be heard. Every single Congress karyakarta and Congress leader has a right to express their aspirations, express their demand, express their hope. We decide as a family and then we will work unitedly," he told reporters.
Pointing out that Congress had won earlier bypolls in the state, he said, "The people of Karnataka are with us. Ordinary people and poor people are with us. We are going to win the two by-elections with the blessings of our brothers and sisters of Karnataka."
Meanwhile, Bagalkot BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath filed his nomination on Friday.
In Bagalkot, Congress's Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in the 2023 Assembly polls. In Davangere South, Congress's Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by a margin of 27,888 votes.
