The tenth V.C. Padmanabhan Memorial Awards for Excellence for 2019 were conferred on the distinguished awardees at a function held today at the Lulu International Convention Centre, Thrissur.
Prominent winners for the year include popular Malayalam Cine actor Shri Jagathy Sreekumar and the 107 year old environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee, Smt. Saalumarada Thimmakka.
The other winners include Prof. P.J. Kurien, former Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Mr. T.K.A. Nair (IAS Retd.), former Adviser to the Prime Minister and Mr. Romesh Sobti, MD & CEO, IndusInd Bank.
The awards were given away by Hon. Justice (Retd.) Antony Dominic, Chairman, Kerala State Human Rights Commission and former Chief Justice, High Court of Kerala, will be the Chief Guest.
The winners received a cash prize of Rs.5 lakhs and a trophy. Mr. V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd., welcomed the gathering and delivered the presidential address.
The V.C. Padmanabhan Memorial Awards were instituted in the year 2010 to commemorate the illustrious founder of the Manappuram Group. They are presented every year to eminent personalities who have made significant contributions in the five categories of Arts and Literature, Civil Servant achieving Excellence in Public Administration, Public Representative achieving Excellence in Good Governance, Business Excellence leading to development of Society at large and Ecology and Environment Conservation.
The following is the list of Awardees for the year 2019:
| Category | Awardees |
| Arts and Literature | Shri Jagathy Sreekumar, Film Actor |
| Ecology and Environment Conservation | Smt. Saalumarada Thimmakka, Environmentalist |
| Business Excellence Leading to Development of Society at Large | Shri Romesh Sobti, MD & CEO, IndusInd Bank |
| Civil Servant Achieving Excellence in Public Administration | Shri. T.K.A. Nair, Former Advisor to the Prime Minister of India |
| Public Representative with Excellence in Good Governance | Prof. P.J. Kurien, Former Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha |
