Engineer-turned-social worker Deenanath Rajput was awarded the Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development.

• He received a cash prize of ?10 lakh, a trophy, and a citation from the chief guest N.K. Singh, Chairman of the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
• Mr. Rajput, 33, set up the FPO in 2018 with an initial membership of 337 women from Jagdalpur in Bastar, a district known to be a hub of Naxalite activities. Since then, the FPO has more than 6,000 members across four districts.
• It helps women farmers by providing them with agricultural extension services, building cold storage infrastructure, connecting them with national and international markets for their products, and helping them diversify into higher value-added products and services.
• This is the second edition of the Rohini Nayyar Prize, which was instituted in the memory of the eponymous economist and administrator who passed away in 2021.
• “The prize has given us a platform and the financial support will only strengthen our future endeavours., Mr. Rajput Said.