By IANS,
Mumbai : Maharashtra Governor S.C. Jamir and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh Thursday paid rich tributes to Prakash and Mandakini Amte who have been jointly conferred this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership.
In a message to the Amte couple, Jamir expressed his joy at the announcement and said it was a “fitting recognition” of their selfless services to the poor people living in the tribal areas of Gadchiroli district.
“Tribals are among the most marginalized people in today’s globalised world. It requires courage of conviction to sacrifice one’s own comforts to work for the betterment of tribals by living in their midst. That both of you have been working for the improvement of socio-economic life of the tribal people for the last 3 decades shows your feeling of deep empathy and genuine concern for the tribals,” Jamir said.
Wishing them continued success in their noble endeavours, Jamir added that through their work, the Amtes have been carrying forward with distinction the legacy of community service passed on by their illustrious father, the late Baba Amte.
Deshmukh said that by winning the Magsaysay Award, “Prakash and Mandakini Amte have brought pride and glory to the state.”
In a message, the chief minister said that the couple has ably carried forward the legacy of social work initiated by the late Baba Amte and enabled the state to be at the forefront in the field of social service.
He added that with this, the social works in Maharashtra have been accorded international honour and recognition and the Amte family’s contribution in the field would inspire many more to emulate them.
Mandakini Amte told IANS by phone from Gadchiroli that she would leave with husband Prakash in the third week of August for the Phillipines to receive the award on August 31, the 101st birth anniversary of the late Philippines president Ramon Magsaysay.