Three Indians including two women have won the inaugural Queen's Young Leaders award in the UK for "taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities".
Ashwini Angadi, 26, Devika Malik, 24, and Akshay Jadhao, 27, from India are among 60 others who received the Queen's Young Leaders award from the British monarch at a gala ceremony in Buckingham Palace last evening.
Queen's Young Leaders award was set up by Queen Elizabeth II to recognise exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth. It was launched by her grandchildren Prince William and Harry last year.
Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust present the award to recognise young people from across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth who are "taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities".
Angadi was awarded for using her own experiences as a visually impaired student to lobby for more braille and audio books. She runs Belaku Academy in Bengaluru, offering education to disabled students from rural areas.
Jadhao, won for his efforts in launching education and skills courses in the rural farming region of Vidarbha, Maharashtra.
Devika Malik, an international para-athlete, was chosen for her Wheeling Happiness Foundation which promotes inclusion, raises funds for disabled people and promotes better accessibility and equality for those with disabilities.
The first 60 recipients of the Queen's Young Leaders Award will meet the Queen and David Cameron
While the award does not come with any cash incentive, it offers each of the winners a year-long mentoring opportunity through an online course.
Award winners celebrated their achievements with former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust and football star David Beckham who were among a number of British celebrities.
The award will run for a period of four years and the search is already on for the next round of 60 with a vision to cover each Commonwealth country by 2018 with a total of 240 winners.
Applications to become a 2016 Queen's Young Leader are now officially open.
