The seventh V.C. Padmanabhan Memorial Awards for Excellence for 2016 were conferred on the distinguished awardees at a function held on June 10th, 2016 at the Lulu International Convention Centre, Thrissur. Prominent winners for the year included the eminent Malayalam novelist and screenplay writer Padma Bhushan M.T. Vasudevan Nair, environmentalist Padma Shri Dr. Sunita Narain and former Union Minister and Member of Parliament Prof. K.V. Thomas. The Award carried a cash prize of Rs.2 lakhs and a bronze plaque.

The V.C. Padmanabhan Memorial Awards were instituted in the year 2010 to commemorate the illustrious founder of the Manappuram Group. They are presented every year to eminent personalities who have made significant contributions in the five categories of Arts and Literature, Civil Servant achieving Excellence in Public Administration, Public Representative achieving Excellence in Good Governance, Business Excellence leading to development of Society at large and Ecology and Environment Conservation.
 

The following is the list of Awardees for the year 2016:

The five-member jury that selected the winners for the year 2015 was headed by Shri T. Balakrishnan IAS (Retd.). The other members were Shri. V.P. Nandakumar (MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd.), Shri P.K. Vijayakumar, IRS Retd. (Insurance Ombudsman for Kerala), and Dr. P.V. Krishnan Nair (Secretary, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy).

The Ambassador of Good Will Award is the highest award presented by Lions International to its members
 
Thrissur, July 24, 2016: Shri V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd., and Governor of Lions Clubs International District 318D, was presented with the Lions Ambassador of Good Will Award by Shri Naresh Aggarwal, the international First Vice President of Lions Clubs.
 
The award was presented at a glittering function held at the Lulu Convention Centre on Sunday, July 24, with nearly 2,000 Lion members in attendance.  The Ambassador of Good Will Award is the highest, most prestigious award presented by Lions International to members who have distinguished themselves by particularly noteworthy service.  Only a limited number of these awards are annually given worldwide by the International President of Lions Clubs.
 
As MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Managing Trustee of the Manappuram Foundation, Shri V.P. Nandakumar has initiated an extensive partnership with Lions Clubs to jointly implement charitable programmes of the Club all over India, including a project to set Children’s corners in 100 public parks across India and a partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to support the extension of the mid-day meal scheme to school children. An advanced palliative care centre is coming up In Thrissur in collaboration with the NGO, Alpha Palliative Care. 
 
Besides the presentation of the award, the function also saw the installation of the District Cabinet of the Lions Club by Shri Naresh Aggarwal who is scheduled to take over as the International President of Lions Clubs International next year.

Manappuram Day is celebrated every year on 15 August as an occasion where emp of the Manappuram Group get together along with family for an all-day variety entertainment show by professional artists. It is also an occasion for the budding artists of the Manappuram Group to showcase their diverse talents. This year was no exception with outstanding performances by employees that won much acclaim from the audience.

Manappuram Designer Hunt Competition 2016 was open to school students from tenth to twelfth standards with a flair for jewellery designing. Conducted by Pegasus India in association with Manappuram Finance Ltd., the competition covered 25 schools in Ernakulam and nearby areas and attracted more than 600 participants.
 
The winner of the competition was Ms. Unnimaya P.U. of Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Thripunithura who was awarded a cash prize of Rs.10,000. The second and third prize winners received Rs.5,000 and Rs.2,500 respectively. The function was held on 18 August 2016 at Nedumbassery.
 
The judges looked for originality in jewellery designing with emphasis on detailing, innovation and practicality of the design for conversion into jewellery.
 
Photo: Ms. Unnimaya P.U. of Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Thripunithura, first prize winner of the Manappuram Designer Hunt Competition 2016, receives a certificate and cash prize of Rs.10,000 from Mr. V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Mrs. Sushama Nandakumar, MD of  Manappuram Jewellers Ltd. Also seen in the picture are Dr. Sumitha Nandan, SVP & CEO, OGL and Mrs. Meera Haridas, Head, Marketing.

Mr. V. P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Limited inaugurates Blood Donation Camp organised by Manappuram Foundation in association with Lions Club of Triprayar, IMA Trissur and the Smt. Sarojani Padmanabhan Memorial Womens Club at Manappuram’s Head Office on 24 September 2016.

Mr. V. P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Limited inaugurates Seminar on 'Team Building' for women employees organised by Smt. Sarojani Padmanabhan Memorial Womens Club at Manappuram’s Head Office on 25 September 2016.

Mr. V. P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Limited and Chairman, CII Kerala State Council speaks at the CII Finance Summit on the theme 'Building Kerala through a Strong Financial System' at Kochi on 29 September 2016.

Mr. Kapil Krishan, Group CFO, Manappuram Finance Ltd., chairs the session on 'Financial Sector in Kerala: Strategies for Growth' at the CII Finance Summit held in Kochi on September 29, 2016.

Shri. V.P. Nandakumar, Managing Trustee, Manappuram Foundation, hands over reimbursement cheques to beneficiaries of Manappuram Janaraksha Free Health Insurance scheme at the Thalikkulam Grama Panchayath on October 20, 2016. At the function, a total of 79 beneficiaries received cheques aggregating to about Rs.5 lakhs in reimbursement of hospitalisation expenses

Shri. V.P. Nandakumar MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Centennial District Governor of Lions Club District 318D, inaugurates the “Ayush” project on 23rd October 2016 at Lions Hall, Thrissur. “Ayush” is a project to support children with chronic illness like cancer, nephrotic syndrome, cerebral palsy etc.  Cheques aggregating to Rs. 3 lakhs were distributed among 25 cancer affected children. Half the cost of the project will be funded by the Manappuram Foundation.