The Art of Living Receives Award Of Exemplary Services In The Field Of Drug Addiction From Govt. Of Odisha
28 June 2019, Bengaluru: The Art of Living received the Best Performing Institution award by the Govt. of Odisha’s Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD), for outstanding contribution in the field of drug de-addiction and substance abuse.
The citation on the award received by Bholanath Jena, Director, Art Of Living Social Projects- Odisha, read: “Empathy and dedicated services for the society always make the world meaningful and worth living. With a humanitarian ethos of wiping tears, spreading smiles and healing the ones on the spectrum of drugs and substance addiction: the Vyakti Vikas Kendra- India (The Art of Living) has been imparting remarkable selfless services tirelessly. Their efforts, dedication, and compassionate approaches have saved and transformed many lives in the process…”
Also, among the 10 Best Performing Gram Panchayats, there were three winning Panchayats where the Art Of Living has been working for the last three years to transform them into Model Panchayat with the help of government authorities. Two of The Art of Living teachers, Padmini Badnayak and Sanjukta Behera, also won the Best Social Activists award.
A total of 10 people received the award for fully recovered addicts for showing enthusiasm towards sobriety, in which 6 were trained and reformed under the aegis of The Art Of Living.
Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD), Govt. Of Odisha organized a sensitization workshop on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26th June attended by Shri Ashok Chandra Panda, Hon’ble Minister, SSEPD Department, Shri Niten Chandra, IAS, Principal Secretary, SSEPD Department, Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, IAS, Commissioner cum Secretary, Excise Department, and Shri Santosh Kumar Upadhyay, IPS, Additional D.G of Police, CID, CB, Odisha Cuttack.
200 participants from NGOs, Colleges, Universities, RRTC, and IRCAs participated in the workshop. Institutions and individuals were felicitated by the Department for their outstanding contribution in the field of drug de-addiction and substance abuse.
Category of Awards:
Category I:
Best performing Institutions
Vyakti Vikas Kendra, India ( The Art Of Living, Organisation), Award Received by – Sri Bholanath Jena, Director AOL Social Projects- Odisha.
Category II:
10 Best Performing Gram Panchayat
3 Panchayats received award where AOL working for 3 years as a Model Panchayat.
Category III:
Award of exemplary contribution in the field of drug de-addiction
Best Social Activist:-
a) Padmini Badnayak, Art of Living
b)Sanjukta Behera, Art of Living
Category IV:
Award for fully recovered addicts for showing enthusiasm towards sobriety
A total of 10 people received the award, in which 6 were trained and reformed under the aegis of The Art Of Living.
