Manoj Sharma of Hindustan times and Sarika Malhotra of Business Today on Thursday won the inaugural Aster Media Awards India for their news reports that had a significant impact in shaping public awareness and driving action on social issues.
Sharma and Malhotra are joint winners of the Rs.10 lakh award, instituted by healthcare charity DM Foundation.
Aasheesh Sharma and Asad Ali came in for a special mention for excellence in journalism and quality of reporting for a news story published in HT Brunch magazine.
The winners were chosen by a jury chaired by Venu Rajamony, press secretary to the President of India.
Sharma won the award for his news story on resilience and hope among street children that "showcases how capacity building among the youth can have a long-term impact".
Malhotra's well researched report on child labour in India was judged as "likely to have a long term impact in terms of public awareness".
Aasheesh Sharma and Asad Ali, who currently work for Catch News, were appreciated for their news report on two women shooters from Uttar Pradesh, that "straddles two key areas of education and women's empowerment" and was noted by the panel for having the "potential to be made into a documentary".
The awards will be presented at a ceremony in New Delhi later this year.
--IANS
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