Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Medha receives award

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Social activist and human rights campaigner Medha Patkar received the Cyril Baselios Catholicos Award for championing the cause of the downtrodden and the marginalised in the country from Governor R.L. Bhatia at a function here on Friday.

The award, instituted by a charitable society under the Malankara Catholic Church in memory of its Major Archbishop, Cyril Baselios Catholicos, carries a purse of Rs.1 lakh and citation.

Ms. Patkar said the downtrodden sections of society fighting to assert their right to existence in places such as Narmada Valley and Nandigram would share the award money. Accepting the award, Ms. Patkar spoke of the pain and suffering of large sections of poor people being dispossessed by greed and insensitivity. She said it would be a long battle for them to survive. She spoke of her vision of networking the battling groups with the support of all good people to build up a broad platform of resistance in the country.

Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi presided over the function. Mar Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop and Catholicos of the Malankara Catholic Church, delivered the benedictory address.

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