Sikkim govt to give Rs 1 lakh award to 199 people each for taking care of elderly parents

Gangtok, Aug 14 (PTI) The Sikkim government has selected 199 people of the state to provide them with Rs 1 lakh each as the Shrawan Kumar award, an honour for taking care of elderly parents, an official said on Thursday.
    All 199 beneficiaries will get the award at the Independence Day functions on Friday, he said.
    The Prem Singh Tamang government has launched the Shravan Kumar Award to honour sons and daughters who show exceptional care and devotion towards their elderly parents. The award was named after the mythical character Shravan Kumar, who took care of his blind parents.
    The initiative is aimed at promoting strong family values, encouraging respect for elders, and preserving Sikkim's cultural tradition of caring for parents in their old age, the official said.
    “While the chief minister himself will honour 22 individuals from Gangtok district at Paljor Stadium, the venue of state level Independence Day celebrations tomorrow, the awardees for Pakyong, Soreng, Namchi, Geyzing and Mangan will be honoured in their respective districts,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)