An Indian is among those honoured at Nikkei Asia Prize this year.
Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, was on Wednesday honoured with the Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture and Community for his work in tackling poor hygiene and discrimination. Other Indians who have won the award include prime minister Manmohan Singh and Infosys chairman Narayan Murti.
"This award will be another milestone in my commitment to the service of the society in Asia in particular and world in general," said 75-year-old Pathak. He received the award from chairman of the Award Committee Fujio Mitarai and dedicated it to the downtrodden section of the society.
The Nikkei Asia Prize award was launched in 1996 and it honours Asians who have made significant contributions in regional growth; science, technology and innovation; and culture and community.
Pathak established the Sulabh International Social Service Organization in 1970 in a bid to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of energy, waste management and social reforms through education.
Pathak has received numerous accolades for his work to stop the practice of manual scavenging. Besides the Padma Bhushan, Pathak has also received the Energy Globe Award, Stockholm Water Prize and the Legend of Planet award from the French senate in Paris among others. In 2016, the Mayor of New York had declared April 14 as the 'Dr Bindeshwar Pathak International Day.'
