The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, is calling on the Indian community to nominate colleagues, family or friends for the new Dadabhai Naoroji Awards, to celebrate individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to relations between India and the United Kingdom.
The awards, which were launched by the Deputy Prime Minister during his trade mission to India in August, are dedicated to Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Asian Member of the British Parliament and the man who brought the first Indian business to the UK.
There is just a week to go to nominate someone you know who has made an outstanding contribution to UK-India relations in the fields of commerce, culture or education. Nominations close at the end of Tuesday 30 September.
The 2014 winners will be invited receive their Awards at a reception at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on 17 October.
The Deputy Prime Minister said: “The commercial and cultural links between India and Britain – our businesses, our universities, our friends and families - go back centuries, and are as vital to both countries as they have ever been. I know there are thousands of people in this country who had dedicated themselves to enhancing this new special relationship between our two countries.
“It’s about time some of these extraordinary individuals were recognised by the British Government, and that is why I launched the Dadabhai Naoroji Awards during my trade mission to India in August.
“It is a great honour to name the awards after the Grand Old Man of India, one of my political heroes. Dadabhai challenged prejudices and obstacles wherever he went, and his achievement of being elected as the first MP of Asian origin cemented his place in British history. He is celebrated for his achievements in India and in the UK, and it is fitting that we should name these awards after him.”
Details on how to nominate can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dadabhai-naoroji-awards-nomination-form
