15 chosen for samman

American political weekly, Newsweek International's, editor Fareed Zakaria, member of French senate Jean-Paul Virapoulle, and vice-president of Republic of Mauritius Abdool Raouf Bundhun are among the 15 prominent personalities of Indian origin who have been chosen for this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards instituted by the Centre.

President A P J Abdul Kalam gave away the awards at a function held on the concluding day of the Fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here on Monday.

Eleven of the awardees, who were present at the function, received the medallion and citation from the President.

The other awardees include Shivnath Rai Bajaj, chairman of the Diwanchand Group and two-time president of the India-Thai Chamber of Commerce from Thailand, Eliahu Bezale, an agriculture scientist from Israel, Pratima Kale, president of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Manila, Philippines, Majid Uddin Kazi, a renowned cardiologist and personal physician of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, C K Menon, a business magnate from Qatar, Gulam Kaderbhai Noon, chairman and founder of Noon Products Limited of Southall, London, Sudhir Parikh, internationally renowned for his work in the treatment of allergy, asthma, and immunology, Yesu Persaud, a leading industrialist from Guyana, V Ramadoss, a physician and advisor to the President of Seychelles, and Niranjan S Shah, chairman and chief executive officer of Globetrotters Engineering Corporation from Chicago, USA.

Besides Fareed Zakaria and Virapoulle, Sisupal Rambharos, a noted social activist from South Africa, Rusy M Shroff, MD of Ruttonjee Estates Limited.