News and pics: Inchara, Udupi

Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Oct 8: European Continental university of Delaware, has awarded Golden Excellence award to popular leader Dr Deviprasad Shetty. Dr Shetty wrote the theme of rural development and raised Belapu village to greater heights.

The selection for the award is based on the findings of international evaluators of the university. The award will be conferred in the award ceremony that will be held in Singapore on Oct 9. Dr Deviprasad will also be participating in the international achiever's conference in Delaware, America on Oct 11.

Chennai based CCTV team had collected information based on the achievement of Dr Deviprasad and sent it to Europe's Continental university. The ECU in turn sent the information to their selection committees in London, America and Singapore. He had strived for decades for the alround development of Belapu grama, which was once called Belapu forest.

Dr Shetty who was the Panchayat president about 25 years ago, showed the world what developments are possible in a grama. He took Belapu cooperative society to the one which is earning several crore rupees as profit by opening branches throughout the village.

The Unesco team from 32 different countries has visited Belapu grama to authenticate the development in the village. A documentary on the development is prepared. The government in the text books for fifth standard students has included a lesson on Belapu grama, the model village in eight different languages.

He is also the recipient of the President's award, best library award from the union government, twin awards from the Karnataka state government, honorary doctorate from the government of Sri Lanka, Pride of Asia award from Nepal government, special achievement awards from the Gulf and Australia, Basava Rathna, Grama Rathna, Sahakari Rathna, Gandhi award, Devegowda award and Narasimha Krishnanugraha awards.

In the glittering ceremony in Singapore's Holiday Inn Atrium, Hilary Clinton, America's Delaware state governor Professor Dr Ralph Thomas, representatives from Briton and Singapore will be present.

Responding to the selection for the award, Dr Shetty said that it will be an inspiration for the vision of model grama under the guidance of minister Vinay Kumar Sorake and the Mangaluru university's research center in Belapu.