Bahrain - based Indian businessman K G Baburajan win Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – wwwnewsofbahraincom

Bahrain-based entrepreneur KG Baburajan has won the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. India is celebrating the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day 2021 today. Known as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the NRI Day is observed to mark the efforts of Indians residing overseas in the development of the country. The day also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in 1915 after which he started India's freedom struggle.  

Mr Baburajan, a geotechnical and QA/QC Engineer by profession, won the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021, held virtually in wake of the coronavirus pandemic at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2021 Convention with a theme of "Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat". The event had three segments and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He is also one of the directors of 4 PM NEWS – Bahrain-based newspaper which is the first evening daily from the Middle East.

The 67-year-old has a career spanning more than 40 years and has lent his expertise and experience to world-renowned projects, in India, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Russia, Iraq and the UAE.

He won the award along with Dr Mohan Thomas Lazarus Pakalomattom from Qatar and Siddeek Ahmed from Saudi Arabia. 

Mr Baburajan is the Chairman and Managing Director of BKG Holding, Qatar Engineering Laboratories and Quality Piling and Construction companies, and has operations across the GCC.  He was instrumental during the construction of the prestigious 25-kilometre-long Saudi Arabia to Bahrain Causeway. He is the only Indian member in the US-based International Accreditation Service, which is a semi-government- body that accredits calibration and testing laboratories worldwide. He has been in the forefront of humanitarian causes which include building houses for the needy, providing educational assistance within India and GCC.

The first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was observed in 2003 and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was given to those overseas Indians who were contributing to the development of the country. Six years later, the concept of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) was launched to help which aims to allow people of Indian origin and their spouses to live and work in India indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Piyush Srivastava congratulated Mr Baburajan. “The news brings great joy to the members of the Indian community here in the Kingdom,” he said. He also thanked Baburajan for his invaluable contributions to the enrichment of the Indian Diaspora, which had played a crucial role in the development of Bahrain and India and enhancing bilateral ties. Mr Srivastava further acknowledged the contribution of Baburajan at the forefront of humanitarian causes, which included building houses for the needy, providing educational assistance within India and GCC.

The Ambassador wished the community and Baburajan every success in promoting Bahrain-India ties and a better understanding of India’s rich culture and diversity across the world during celebrations of 16th PBD Convention at the embassy. Srivastava said that the awards represent the vibrant achievements made by the Indian diaspora in various fields. “Besides being professional and high work ethics, the success of our community in Bahrain can be attributed to the liberal, tolerant and welcoming society of the Kingdom.” Ambassador Srivastava thanked the Leadership and Government of Bahrain “for the care taken by them of our community, particularly during the difficult times of COVID 19 pandemic.”