Report by OD bureau, Bhubaneswar: The 15th Bhagwan Mahaveer Award was conferred on Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KISS on 10th October 2012. He received the award from Dr. K. Rosaiah, His Excellency the Governor of Tamil Nadu at a glittering ceremony held at Chinmaya Heritage Centre, Chennai in the presence of more than one thousand delegates. This prestigious National award has been instituted by Bhagawan Mahaveer Foundation.

The 15th annual awards which carry a cash price of Rs 10 lakh, a citation and a memento each, were decided after processing over 260 nominations by a jury headed by former Chief Justice of India M N Venkatachaliah. Mahaveer Award is a national award and its past recipients include eminent personalities like Aung San Suu Kyi (2012), Shri Anna Hazare (1997), Dr. Prakash Murlidar Amte and Dr. Mandakini Prakash (1998).