Guwahati: New Delhi resounds with the announcement that Dilip Saikia, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s representative from Assam, has been named a recipient of the esteemed Sansad Ratna Award for 2025. This recognition places Saikia among a select group of 16 parliamentarians and two pivotal parliamentary committees, all slated to receive honors at the 15th annual awards ceremony, scheduled for late July in the nation’s capital.
The Sansad Ratna Awards Committee, in a statement released on Sunday, detailed the criteria underpinning the selection process. The awards are designed to celebrate significant contributions to India’s parliamentary framework, judged through rigorous, objective metrics. These metrics encompass the breadth and depth of debates initiated, the incisiveness of questions posed, and the legislative innovation evidenced by private member bills introduced.
Originating in 2010, at the behest of the late President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the Sansad Ratna Awards are a civil society initiative aimed at acknowledging and promoting excellence within the Indian parliament. This year’s ceremony will also feature four Special Awards, designated for “Outstanding and Consistent Contribution to Parliamentary Democracy,” recognizing the sustained impact of Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJP, Odisha), NK Premachandran (RSP, Kerala), Supriya Sule (NCP SP, Maharashtra), and Shrirang Appa Barne (Shiv Sena, Maharashtra). These individuals have demonstrated exceptional performance across the 16th, 17th, and continuing into the 18th Lok Sabha terms.
Geographically, Maharashtra leads the tally with seven awardees, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan, each with two. Single awards will be presented to representatives from Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and now, Assam. Additionally, the Standing Committee on Finance, under the leadership of Bhartruhari Mahtab, and the Standing Committee on Agriculture, helmed by Dr. Charanjit Singh Channi, will be honored.
The selection process is overseen by a jury committee, chaired by Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Chairman of the National Commission for Backwards Classes, who himself holds the distinction of being the inaugural Sansad Ratna Award recipient in 2010. Since its inception, the awards have celebrated the contributions of 125 parliamentarians across 14 ceremonies. The initiative is managed by the Prime Point Foundation and the eMagazine PreSense, operating as a non-commercial endeavor dedicated to upholding Dr. Kalam’s vision of fostering and recognizing excellence within India’s parliamentary democracy.