Chennai: Nine Members of Parliament would be presented with the annual Sansad Ratna Awards-2017 for their outstanding performance. The awardees included six Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha Members. Those who would presented the awards this year were Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Appa Barne from Mavel in Maharashtra, Congress MP Rajeev Shankarrao Satav Hingoli, Maharashtra and Nationalist Congress Party MP Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik (Kolhapur, Maharashtra) have been nominated under different categories. The Special awards for excellence in quality of debates and other proceedings would be given Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab (Cuttack, Odisha) and RSP MP N K Premachandran from Kollam in Kerala.
Under the Women MP category, Dr Heena Vijayakumar Gavit, the BJP MP from Nandurbar, was nominated for the award. Of the 58 Rajya Sabha members who retired last year after completing their full six year term, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, CPI(M) members from Kerala K N Balagopal and Dr T N Seema were nominated for the awards in recognition of their outstanding performance in the Upper House. The awards would be presented by Kerala Governor and retired Justice P Sathasivam at a function to be held here tomorrow. The awards were instituted by Prime Point Foundation and eMagazine PreSense as suggested by late President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
This is the eighth edition of the award. Talking to reporters here today, Prime Point Foundation Chairman K Srinivasan this was the only award presented by the civil society to honour achievers in Parliament,” The performance of the MPs were determined by the number of debates they participate, the number of questions raised, the number of private member bills introduced, attendance and usage of MPLAD funds. (UNI)