‘ALERT Being’ awards presented in Coimbatore

The ninth edition of the ‘ALERT Being’ awards ceremony was held in Coimbatore on Friday, recognising individuals and organisations for their contributions to emergency response, social service and public welfare.

The awards were presented by ALERT, a voluntary non-profit organisation working on emergency preparedness and training. This year, 17 awardees were selected from 249 nominations received from across the country.

Coimbatore Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar, educationist B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar and L. Gopalakrishnan, Managing Trustee of PSG Sons & Charities, attended the event.

Addressing the gathering, the Collector said ALERT had played a role in improving awareness on emergency response in Coimbatore and had supported life-saving efforts.

Mr. Vanavarayar said the awards recognised people who had stepped forward to help others during emergencies.

Among the awardees, K.P. Ramasamy, Chairman of KPR Group, received the ‘ALERT Eminence’ award for his contribution to education and entrepreneurship. Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi was conferred the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award for his work in child rights. Social activist Sunitha Krishnan, co-founder of Prajwala, was honoured for her work against sexual abuse and child marriage.

Manish S, a Class IX student from Coimbatore, was recognised for rescuing a boy from drowning, becoming the youngest recipient of the ‘ALERT Being’ award. In the ‘Going Beyond Call of Duty’ category, Major Rohit of the Indian Army was honoured for assisting in the delivery of a baby at a railway station. A team comprising Dr. Manoop, Dr. Thomas Peter and Ms. Dhidiya K. Thomas was recognised for saving a road accident victim by performing a tracheostomy in a public place.

Under the organisation category, awards were presented to Platelet Club, Chennai, Jeeva Shanthy Trust, Rotary Club of Coimbatore Cotton City and Amazon Seller Services for their work in public welfare.

Speaking at the event, ALERT chairman Mike Muralidharan said many people wished to help during emergencies but lacked training. He said ALERT was working towards training at least one member of every family in emergency care.