RR Foundation Introduces Media Awards 'Ugadi Puraskar' As a Tribute to Late Veteran Press Photographer, MA Rahim on his 25th Death anniversary

As you all are aware, the Hyderabad-headquartered RR Foundation has been in the forefront of charitable activities across spheres. The thrust is on providing education, particularly for the girl-child and orphans, and extending support to families in distress. Among other things, the Foundation is also a promoter of several sports disciplines, under its professionally-run Academia Sports Village (ASV) arm.
Founded in memory of eminent photojournalists Janab Mohammad Abdul Rahim and his eldest son, Janab Mohammad Abdul Rahman, by their family members, RR Foundation was to the fore when Covid-19 pandemic created turmoil. Members and volunteers from the Foundation visited several vulnerable areas where they distributed face masks, sanitizers, essential commodities and educated the most vulnerable poorer sections about the importance of maintaining Covid-19 protocol. This noble initiative won the appreciation of the society.

Taking forward their activities, RR Foundation is delighted to announce that it is instituting awards for the best from the media, commencing with the year 2022-2023. It goes without saying that journalists have played a pivotal role during the pandemic. They have also been true-blue warriors, albeit unsung, having braved the adverse conditions in response to the call of duty.

The Foundation has classified the awards into two categories-print media and electronic media, whereupon the best from specialized fields in the two categories would be awarded. Apart from citations, there will be cash rewards for each winner.As the number of players in print media is more they have been sub-classified into Telugu and English categories while, with lesser numbers, Hindi and Urdu will be incorporated into one category.

There will be five separate specializations in the sub-classification. Awards are being instituted for the best in Business, Sports, Entertainment, Woman and Photographer. These will be given separately for Telugu, English and Hindi/Urdu languages.

As a tribute to their contribution to the profession spread over the years, there is a 'Lifetime Achievement' award, which will also carry cash rewards. As electronic media is mostly restricted to the regional language, Telugu, there will only be two awards, 'Best Correspondent' and 'Best Cameraman', irrespective of their specialization.

A jury, comprising achievers from diverse fields, will assess and take the final call on the short-listed entries, which can also be sent individually. However, the Foundation's Award Committee would prefer that the nominations are sent by Associations of each specialisation.

Entries must have necessary material to substantiate the claims of the applicants and can be sent personally or online. Details about the commencement and last date for submitting entries, and the procedure to apply will be announced shortly. An overall budget of Rs 5 Lakh has been earmarked for the awards.

The mega award ceremony is tentatively planned to coincide, with the 2023 Ugadi festivities.