Rajpipla, April 14 -- Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Saturday presented the inaugural Ratnasinhji Mahida Memorial Awards to two eminent tribal achievers - Prof. (Dr.) Madhukar S. Padvi, the first Vice Chancellor of Birsa Munda Tribal University, Rajpipla, and Dr. S. Prasanna See, Professor of English at Andhra University, who is globally recognised as the first woman to have devised alphabets for numerous Indian tribal languages.

Instituted by renowned artist Virajkumari Mahida in memory of her grandfather, the late Shri Ratnasinhji Mahida, the award honours exceptional contributions by individuals from indigenous communities. The ceremony, held in Rajpipla on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, was attended by dignitaries including...