The Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust presented the Sat Paul Mittal National Awards 2026 in Ludhiana on November 12, recognising two individuals and two institutions for their outstanding contributions to humanity and social development.
Held on the 137th birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the ceremony also marked 34 years of the awards. Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, the chief guest, presented the awards and distributed scholarships to students. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, President of the Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, was also present.
The four awardees received a cumulative cash prize of ₹20 lakh across the Platinum and Gold categories, along with citations.
In the individual category, the Platinum Award went to Shalini Khanna, Director of NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies, for her work in empowering visually impaired and disabled women and children through skill development, livelihood opportunities, rehabilitation and long-term support.
The Gold Award was presented to Nitesh Kumar Jangir, Co-founder of Coeo Labs and InnAccel, for developing affordable medical technologies addressing critical neonatal, maternal and intensive-care needs, particularly in healthcare settings with limited access to electricity, advanced equipment and specialised medical personnel.
In the institutional category, the Platinum Award was conferred on the Foundation to Educate Girls Globally for its efforts to bring out-of-school girls back into education and improve learning outcomes in underserved communities. Under its Audacious Project (2019–2025), the organisation enrolled 1.58 million girls across more than 30,000 villages, achieving 90% year-on-year retention. Its interventions have also provided remedial learning to over 9.54 lakh children and life-skills training to more than 2.99 lakh adolescent girls.
The Gold Award went to Sankara Eye Foundation, India, for expanding access to quality eye care among underserved communities. Through its Gift of Vision programme, the Foundation provides free end-to-end eye care, including community screening, transportation, surgery, meals and post-operative follow-up.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Kataria said the awardees embodied the spirit of seva and demonstrated that nation-building was a shared responsibility. Emphasising the importance of education, he urged students to pursue their aspirations with perseverance and use their learning to bring about positive social change.
Rakesh Bharti Mittal said the true measure of national progress lay not merely in economic achievements but also in the ability to uplift people and create opportunities for all sections of society. He said the awards recognised individuals and institutions that had translated compassion into meaningful action. As India moved towards Viksit Bharat, he added, education and social empowerment must remain central to the country’s development.
The Trust also highlighted its longstanding commitment to education through scholarships. Since 1991, it has awarded more than 31,000 scholarships worth over ₹19 crore to students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with girls accounting for 65% of beneficiaries. This year, it plans to extend scholarships worth approximately ₹6 crore to around 2,400 students.
The Trust has also expanded its support through the Satya Scholarship Programme, a merit-cum-means initiative launched in 2025 that provides 100% coverage of annual course fees to meritorious students.
Established in 1983 by late Sat Paul Mittal, the Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust confers the national awards annually to recognise exceptional contributions to society. Previous recipients include Dr E. Sreedharan, Dr S.S. Badrinath, Ela R. Bhatt, Anna Hazare, Sunil Dutt, and organisations such as The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Goonj, Salaam Baalak Trust, SOS Children’s Villages and Smile Train India.
