Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards: Celebrating Agents of Change

(Right) Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena, Union Minister for Labour, Employment, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendar Yadav, Anant Goenka (Express)

Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah, Indian Express Chairman Viveck Goenka, Executive Director Anant Goenka and the Governance awards recipients at the award ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Express Photo)

The awards are given for innovative solutions to governance challenges at the district level across the country. In his address, Shah said that good governance is the “key to development and progress”. He said, “Without good governance in a democratic country, it is impossible to carry the spirit of the Constitution all the way to the bottom. The Constitution of India, which envisages equal opportunities and equal development for all, can be successful only when it is implemented through good governance at the district magistrate level, at the collectorate level.”

Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah, Indian Express Chairman Viveck Goenka, Executive Director Anant Goenka and the Governance awards recipients at the award ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Express Photo)

Speaking on the occasion, Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing Director of The Indian Express Group, said the awards are “a powerful reminder that in a democracy, the best of public service does not need to be contested”.

Wajahat Habibullah, former Chairperson, National Commission for Minorities, and jury member of the awards (left), with former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla (Express)

Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor, The Indian Express. (Express Photo)

(From top left) Shilpi Sharma, Vice President – HR, MDLR Group; Sudhakar Rao, Director of ICFAI Group; Shiv Ram Meena, PRO, Rajasthan government; Amarjeet Sinha, former Advisor to the PM and jury member of the awards (Express)

The winners were chosen by a jury headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha. The others on the jury included Wajahat Habibullah, former chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities and the first Chief Information Commissioner of India; Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary and India’s Ambassador to the United States and China; KM Chandrasekhar, former Cabinet Secretary; and Amarjeet Sinha, member, Public Enterprises Selection Board.

(Row 1 From left)MD Dalmia Bharat Group Puneet Dalmia, senior advocate and BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani; former Delhi Police commissioner Rakesh Asthana, Ravi Shankar Prasad; GM (PP&D) Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Swagat Ray; CEO & MD NxtGen A S Rajgopal; (Row 2 from left) DG National Mission for Clean Ganga G Asok Kumar; VP – HR, MDLR Group Shilpi Sharma; Editor in Chief MDLR Group Pratima Datta; Chief Manager – Corporate Communication REC Ashish Rao; Executive Chairperson Religare Enterprises Limited Dr Rashmi Saluja; (Row 3 from left) former advisor to PM and jury member Amarjeet Sinha; Director ICFAI Group Sudhakar Rao; Joint Director (Strategic Minerals) Gujarat Mineral Research & Development Society Lalitendu Mohanta; Director UPL Vikram Shroff; PRO Rajasthan gov Shiv Ram Meena

The audience included bureaucrats, politicians, entrepreneurs and leaders from corporate India (Express)

The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards

(From left) Harjit Singh, Head of Corporate Communication, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited; Ranen Banerjee, Partner, Government Sector leader, Pwc India; Yatin Gupte, Chairman and Managing Director, Wardwizard Innovations & Mobility Limited (Express)

The illustrious evening saw an audience of bureaucrats, politicians, and entrepreneurs. Among them were Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena; BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani; Ashok Chawla, former Finance secretary; Dr Rashmi Saluja, Executive Chairperson, Religare Enterprises Limited; Rakesh Asthana, former Delhi Police Commissioner; Shyam Bagri, Founder, Bagrry’s India Private Limited; AS Rajgopal, CEO and Managing Director of NxtGen; Ranen Banerjee, Partner, PwC India; Subhrakant Panda, Managing Director, Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd and President, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry; Vikram Shroff, Director, UPL; Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director of Dalmia Bharat Group; G Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga; Yatin Gupte, Chairman and Managing Director, Wardwizard Innovations & Mobility Limited; R Elangovan, Administrator, Vajiram & Ravi.