RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Art & Culture)

Context: Oncologist R. Ravi Kannan of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre wins the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay award.

1. Ravi Kannan: He is credited with revolutionising cancer treatment in Assam through people-centric and pro-poor healthcare. According to the citation on the website of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, under Dr. Kannan’s leadership, the CCHRC became a full-fledged comprehensive cancer hospital and research centre.

Ramon Magsaysay Award

• About: The award is given to individuals and organisations in Asia for selfless service to society in various fields.
• Launched: In 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is widely considered to be Asia’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize.
• Award was set up by: Trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Philippine government to carry forward Magsaysay’s legacy of service to the people, good governance, and pragmatic idealism.
• The award is given out every year on August 31, on Magsaysay’s birth anniversary.
• The awardees are presented with a certificate and a medal with an image of Ramon Magsaysay.
• Indian winners on the list: Vinoba Bhave in 1958, Mother Teresa in 1962, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay in 1966, Satyajit Ray in 1967, Mahasweta Devi in 1997.

oIn recent years, Arvind Kejriwal (2006), Anshu Gupta of Goonj (2015), human rights activist Bezwada Wilson (2016), and journalist Ravish Kumar (2019) have won the award.