ISRO Chairman S Somanath Wins Kerala Prabha Award; Sanju Samson Wins Kerala Sree

The Kerala government has announced state-level awards. Among the recipients are S Somnath and Sanju Samson.

Thiruvananthapuram:The Kerala Awards, the awards of the Government of Kerala, were announced on Thursday. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath won the Kerala Prabha Award while aggressive cricketer Sanju Samson won the Kerala Sree Award.

Writer MK Sanu has won the highest award - the Kerala Jyothi. ISRO Chairman S Somnath, a Distinguished Scientist (Apex Grade) and Secretary, Department of Space (DoS), and Bhuvaneshwari were awarded the second highest award - the Kerala Prabha.

S Somnath, a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), Indian National Academy of Science (INSA), Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), Astronautical Society of India (ASI) and a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, was awarded for his comprehensive contribution in the field of space science & engineering.

Bhuvaneshwari won the award in the agriculture category while India batter and stumper Sanju Samson, who also plays in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) won the Kerala Shri award in the sports category.

Kalamandalam Vimala Menon (Art), Dr. TK Jayakumar (Health), Narayana Bhattathiri (Calligraphy), Shaija Baby (Social Service, Asha Worker) and VK Mathews (Industry- Commerce) are the other five recipients of the Kerala Shri Award. These are the highest awards on the pattern of Padma awards given by the Government of Kerala.

Kerala Jyothi, the first highest state award, is awarded to one person annually, Kerala Prabha, the second highest state award, to two and Kerala Sri, the third highest state award to six, in recognition of comprehensive contributions in various fields.