HONOURABLE AWARDEES ABOUT THE AWARD He has been an outstanding champion of the weaker sections of the Indian Society. Throughout his life beginning from student days in his native Kerala State of India and later as a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and presently during his post retirement phase he has been vigorously and consistently working for the advancement and empowerment of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Backward Classes (BC) who are the victims of the iniquitous Indian Caste Systems (ICS) and have been subject to various forms and degrees of exploitation, deprivation and humiliation, including "untouchability" in the case of SC and who together constitute the exploited and deprived social categories of the Indian Population.