New Delhi, Jan 25 (Inditop.com) Noted Sanskrit scholar Mohd. Hanif Khan Shastri and the Centre for Human Rights and Social Welfare (CHRSW) of Rajasthan have been selected for the National Communal Harmony Awards for 2009.
The awardees were selected by a jury headed by Vice-President Hamid Ansari in recognition of their contribution to the promotion of communal harmony.
“Mohd. Hanif Khan Shastri, 58, has endeavoured to promote communal harmony by highlighting similarities between Hindu and Muslim religions through his unique literary contributions in Hindi and Sanskrit,” an official statement said.
He has written at least eight books. His other activities include delivering lectures, talks and TV shows on the theme of communal harmony.
“CHRSW is a social organisation working for communal harmony, human rights, welfare of the homeless persons, women, footpath dwellers, rehabilitation of needy and deprived persons. The Centre has campaigned against terrorism. It participated in the rehabilitation work of the victims of bomb blasts that took place in Jaipur in May 2008,” the statement said.
“In addition to a citation in each category, the award carries a cash award of Rs.5 lakh for the organisation and Rs.2 lakh for the individual categories,” it said.
The awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, an autonomous organisation set up by the Indian government.
