The honorary Chief guest for the event was, Mr. Naresh Kumar, The Chief Secretary of the Delhi Govt. Mr. Naresh Kumar was quoted saying,‘ The importance of social work lies in its true aim to boldly confront social issues in all facets of life, and create policies that are beneficial to public at large’ He further stated that the Delhi government wants to extend whole hearted contribution towards every social cause and will assist social organizations with timely support, guidance and participation.
The event started with an inaugural speech by the President of RCDP, Mr. Raghav Chandra. Mr. Raghav Chandra was quoted saying, "We are immensely proud to have 3 recipients of the Distinguished Service Awards who have shown immense resilience in the face of adversity and trauma to them and others and have pledged on devoting their lives to light up the path of persons facing such trauma’. He further recognized the 3 winners of the award ceremony. The first award was felicitated to Sunshine Society that focuses on the betterment of children and elderly. It is run by Kuku and Priti Arora. The recipient of the second award was ,NGO Asha which is run by Dr. Sharmila Lal, a gynecologist. Dr. Sharmila spreads radiance and positivity by treating more than 40 poor patients everyday and actively works for the slums and underdeveloped areas. After she lost her father in 2020, she also started keenly treating elderly people by lending them support. She believes in the mantra of doing good and treating a patient is like service to God."
The third recipient was Miss Shaheen Malik, who has been an acid attack survivor and is the founder of, Great Souls Foundation. She was faced with the worst nightmare when she became a victim of an acid attack in 2009, and her pain inspired her to create a strong support system for acid attack survivors. Miss Shaheen Malik was quoted saying, ‘The only way to curb acid attacks is by banning the sale of it, and making it unavailable. I believe that the government should come forward collectively with NGO’S and provide rehabilitation and financial assistance to victims of sexual attacks, rape and acid attacks. The event ended with Mr. Naresh Kumar by promising an extended support to foundations/ NGO’s to eradicate heinous crimes and make Delhi a safer metropolitan. The event was a success and displayed the essence of celebrating the fierce and unsung women and men of our society, who want to make an impact through their efforts, inspite of hardships and challenges.
