Kerala CM Oommen Chandy bags UN award for 'mass contact programme'

May 22, 2013
Thiruvananthapuram, May 22: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has won the United Nation's Public Service Award for his Mass Contact Programme, which saw him directly engaging with people in the state to address their grievances.

Chandy bagged the first prize from the Asia Pacific region with awardees chosen every year from five zones around the world, a release from the CM's office said.

chandy
Since 2003, UN has been giving the award as part of its programme for Public Service Day, which is observed on June 23.

The awards, instituted through a UN resolution, are announced after a three-tier scrutiny and detailed examination.

The shortlisted candidates are examined by a seven-member sub-committee of UN's Committee of Experts in Public Administration.

This year, UN Public Service Day ceremonies will be held from June 24 to 27 in Bahrain where UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will distribute the awards on June 27. Chandy would be attending the meet to receive his award on that day.

Chandy's mass contact programme has been widely lauded as a unique democratic experiment in which the CM of an Indian state met thousands of people directly without any intermediaries.

He received upto 5.5 lakh petitions, of which around 3 lakh were resolved, and distributed financial assistance of Rs 22.68 crore as part of the programme.

Evaluation criteria for the awards include transparency, mechanisms to increase public's ability to seek and receive information in a timely manner and monitoring and analysing government decision-making and processes.

Promotion of accountability and documentation, which can serve as evidence of a government's conformity to legal, procedural and fiscal requirements, were also among the parameters.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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