Finance and Law Minister K M Mani was presented the debut ‘BKS-Leadership Excellence Award’ instituted by the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) at a function held at Bahrain on Monday evening.

Mani was chosen for the award, according to the jury, for the exemplary leadership and governance qualities demonstrated throughout his long political career.

A packed audience at the BKS Diamond Jubilee Hall witnessed Mani receiving the award from Sheikh Salman Bin Abdulla Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, senior member of the Bahrain ruling family and Survey and Land Registration Bureau Head. He was presented with a citation by BKS president K Janardhanan and a shawl by general secretary Prince Natarajan.

 Crown Prince and court president Sheikh Khalifa Bin Daij Al Khalifa and Indian Ambassador Mohan Kumar were the chief guests on the occasion. Former Kerala Chief Secretary and Malayalam University Vice-Chancellor K Jayakumar and visiting Indian bureaucrat Raju Narayanaswamy lauded Mani for his leadership skills.

Soman Baby, DT News Managing Editor and head of the three-member panel which selected Mani, noted that the awardee  holds the record of having presented eleven budgets in Kerala as Finance Minister. He also holds the distinction of being the longest-serving member of Kerala Assembly.