The first ever Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh Award was held on 12 April 2022 at Kushabhau Thakre Hall in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). Eminent personalities from the state of Madhya Pradesh were honoured for their immense contribution towards the society. Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Sh Mangubhai Patel felicitated the awardees.

The program was presided over by well-known journalists Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik and Dayakar Ratakonda (former Indian diplomat) as advisors and members of the award selection committee, and the program was presided over by Dr. Ved Pratap Vaidik. Devendra Pratap Singh Tomar, General Secretary, IFIE.

कुशाभाऊ ठाकरे सभागार, भोपाल में 'इंटरैक्टिव फोरम ऑन इंडियन इकॉनमी' द्वारा आयोजित 'चैंपियंस ऑफ चेंज मध्यप्रदेश' पुरस्कार वितरण समारोह https://t.co/s3GGcnsq4N

— CMO Madhya Pradesh (@CMMadhyaPradesh) April 12, 2022

The recipients of Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh Award included Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Former Governor of UP and Mizoram Dr Aziz Qureshi, Music performer Padma Vibhushan Teejan Bai, Mayor of Indore Malini Laxmansingh Gaur, Rajya Sabha MP Syed Zafar Islam, Indian actress Divyanka Tripathi , Indian film actor and lyricist Piyush Mishra , BJP leader Vikram Verma, Banwari Lal Chouksey, Dr Bhagirath Prasad, Kalapini Komakali, Sudhir Bhai Goyal, Girish Agarwal, Dilip Suryavanshi, Abhijeet Sukhdane, Aarya Chavda, Rohit Singh Tomar, Megha Parmar, Vikas Bhaduaria, Priyanka Dwivedi, CEO of FidyPay Manan Dixit, Mayur Sethi, Renu Sharma, Dr Prakash Jain and Rajneet Jain.

Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan thanked Hon’ble Governor Sh Mangubhai Patel for felicitating him with the COC Madhya Pradesh and praised him for all his services as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh. He said, “Hon’ble Governor Sh Patel has been an inspiration for all of us. He has truly defined the meaning of Governor. He has worked on the grass root level and understood the pain and bearing of poor people of the society and given his entire life for social welfare. I thank the jury members especially KG Balakrishnan ji, Dr Vaidik ji, Ratakonda ji and Mr Nandan Jha ji for felicitating me with this award and it is such a warm feeling to know that you have selected people from various walks of life who have towards making a change in the society. the state had become proud by honouring the talents who brought laurels to different areas of the society.” He also added that the contribution of the honoured talents to the society showed that a man could command the universe by recognizing his capabilities.

Hon’ble Governor Sh Mangubhai Patel congratulated all the awardees and said that he felt quite honoured to be a part of this event and also said that it is the duty of each one of us to work for the society. Referring to the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda and the context of Mahabharata, he said, “Life has to continue to move forward. Honour is just a stepping stone. The destination has still to be reached. Those who work by recognizing their talents, get better results.” He said the honor of those with the designation along with those who had done outstanding work through hard work and dedication throughout their life showed the impartiality of the jury. At the same time, it gave inspiration to others to follow the example of the talents.

“Champions of Change I am feeling extremely happy to be a part of this prestigious event. The team of IFIE has organized such an event that recognizes social values deserved special applause. Champions of Change is an award for promoting Gandhian values, (Swachata), community service and social development in Aspirational districts in India. These are values which should be inculcated in every one of us. This is the vision of Prime Minister Modi and we have to work on it”, he added.

Veteran Journalist Dr Ved Pratap Vaidik in his speech shared his opinion on the importance of presenting the COC Madhya Pradesh to the various people. He said, “This award is being presented to people who have given their whole life towards social service and they have become an example for many others. This is not only an award but it is a recognition and praise for all the hard work done by these great people for the society. Today our Hon’ble CM Shivraj ji is present on this occasion who himself is a true nationalist and has been working tirelessly for the nation. All the eminent personalities present here have become a role model for the society by the way they have been serving the society be it our Hon’ble Governor Sh Patel ji or the eminent awardees. They worked hard and made a change in the society which is never easy. I congratulate Nandan Ji for organizing the event so beautifully and wish to be part of many more gatherings like this. I also want to congratulate each and every award winner preset here.”  

Justice KG Balakrishnan congratulated all the awardees and expressed his utmost satisfaction to be a part of the prestigious event. He said. “I am very happy to be back to Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh is a state of beautiful cities like Gwalior. I have a very special bond with Madhya Pradesh. I just want to congratulate all the winners and wish them best of luck for future.”  

Mr Nandan Jha congratulated Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan for being awarded the Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh. He said, “Its an amazing feeling to be present here in Bhopal today. I had the privilege of sharing the COC platforms with Hon’ble President Late Pranab Mukhrejee, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari but today I am feeling extremely happy and satisfied. I am very elated by the fact the award is given by Hon’ble Governor Patel ji. The dignity of every award is judged by who is giving the award and who is receiving it. The jury of this award comprises highly accomplished dignitaries like Justice KG Balakrishnan, Dr Vaidik ji, Ratakonda ji and Dipak Mishra ji which is truly special. The award is being received by Padma Vibhushan awardee which makes it even more special. This award is also very special as it is given to many unsung heroes just like the Padma Awards. I congratulate all the winners for the award.”

Mr Dayakar Ratakonda in his speech expressed his views on the Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh Award and shed light on the selection process of the awards. He said, “I want to express my views on the Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh award. Me, Dr Vaidik ji, Justice KG Balakrishnan ji, Gyan Sudha Misra and Nandan ji received multiple applications for the Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh. We went through the selection process and came out with suitable candidates for the awards which consist of people from different walks of society. So it is an unbiased and very objective wise procedure of selection. I am also grateful to the Govt of Madhya Pradesh for their support.”

Dr Aziz Qureshi in his speech said that it is the duty of each and every citizen of the country towards working for the betterment of the society, be it a normal man or a celebrity. “We all have to work for the society. I personally know Vaidik ji who has been a dear friend of mine. I don’t find myself eligible for this award. However if I have received this award, I want to thank Hon’ble Governor for honouring me and congratulate all the awardees”, he added.     

Mr Vikram Verma expressed his contentment and happiness after being chosen as the awardee for COC Madhya Pradesh. He also added that while keeping in mind the overall social welfare the fact that how important it is to work selflessly as each one of us have some objectives and the Champions of change is given to those who make an impact on the society by their good deeds. He also thanked Hon’ble Governor for felicitating him with the award and felt proud to be in a company of such esteemed personalities.

Mr Devendra Pratap Singh Tomar welcome all the dignitaries present on the occasion and congratulated all the awardees for receiving the Champions of Change Madhya Pradesh. He also added, “Whenever we organize an event like this we are bound to make mistakes but we will always try to learn from our mistakes and keep getting better next time. During the felicitation of such champions we will also keep in mind that we motivate other people of the society to follow them.” 

Champions of Change is an Indian award, for promoting Gandhian values, (Swachata), community service and social development (in Aspirational district in India), selected by constitutional jury members headed by K.G. Balakrishnan, Former Chief Justice of India and Former Chairman NHRC along with Former Judge of Supreme Court of India. Champions of Change Telangana award is a state version of Champions of change national award.

IFIE annually organizes Champions of Change Award at International, National and state-Level in India and it is usually presented by the President, Vice-President, Governor or a leading figure of India. Mr. Nandan Jha is the founder and Chairman of Champions of Change Award.