New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday conferred the G.K. Reddy Memorial National Award 2014 on the late Vinod Mehta for contribution to journalism.

The award was received by Mehta's widow, Sumita, at an investiture ceremony here.

Speaking at the function, also attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Gandhi recalled Mehta as a "passionate upholder of our democratic and secular ideals, who harboured sympathy for the disempowered and held no fear of the rich and powerful".

She said while the Congress took in stride Mehta's criticism of the party, his voice is missed "in the present climate, when dissent is being stifled, when the minorities feel increasingly insecure, when the secular fabric of our society is threatened, when bigotry and obscurantism seem to flourish unchecked".

"On issues and subjects where he was convinced the public had a right to know, he stood firmly by his convictions and was willing to pay the price, proudly describing himself as 'the most sacked editor'," Gandhi added.

Congress leaders Karan Singh and Anand Sharma, who were part of the jury for the award, were also present on the occasion.

At the age of 32, Mehta became India's youngest editor when he took over as editor-in-chief of "Debonair" magazine in 1974. He later founded and edited journals such as "The Pioneer" (Delhi edition), "The Sunday Observer", "The Independent", "Indian Post" and finally "Outlook", a weekly magazine launched in 1995.

The award, by TSR Foundation, is given in the memory of noted journalist G.K. Reddy for outstanding contribution to journalism.