Manama, July 3 (BNA) — Chief Minister of Kerala, a South Indian state and the recipient of the United Nations (UN) Global Award for Public Service, Oommen Chandy, said that his government was about to execute the next phase of the mass contact programme.
“There are 46 government orders waiting to be executed as part of the next phase,” he said.
He thanked the government of Bahrain for hosting the UN Public Service Forum at which he was conferred the award.
He called the award ‘an appreciation from a global body’ for serving the interests of a people and making life a little less harder. Chandy told the Bahrain News Agency that he was happy to have met His Majesty the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. “They have lauded the efforts and contribution of the people of Kerala in enriching Bahrain.
HRH the Crown Prince is the first leader from the Gulf to visit the state of Kerala and he was more than happy to witness the nature and culture of the state, he said.
The Crown Prince, with who he had a lengthy meeting also agreed to be lenient – within the framework of the laws of the land – with the Malayalee prisoners held in Bahrain’s jails, the Chief Minister said.
The Ambassador of India to Bahrain, Mohankumar will present the list of detainees and their details, Chandy said.
Chandy was selected for the UN award from among entries from 50 Asia-Pacific countries. His mass contact programme has been widely lauded as a unique experiment in democracy in which the Chief Minister of an Indian state received up to 5.5 lakh petitions, of which around three lakh were resolved. Financial assistance worth INR 220 million as part of the programme. Since 2003, UN has been giving the award as part of its programme for Public Service Day, observed on June 23.
Minister for NonResident Keralites Affairs, K C Joseph, told the Bahrain News Agency that Bahrain presented a fine model of mutually beneficial relationship between the expatriate community and the host country.
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BNA 0716 GMT 2013/07/03