Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be conferred the First Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Award for Probity in Public Life at an official function to be organised by the Jammu and Kashmir government in Jammu on Monday.
Kumar left Patna for Jammu on Sunday evening. Bihar’s deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi is also expected to grace the occasion.
According to sources, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Governor N N Vohra will present the award to Nitish Kumar. The award has been constituted by the state government to commemorate the death anniversary of PDP founder and two-time J&K CM M M Sayeed, the father of incumbent J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti. The PDP founder died on January 7, 2016.
Sources said CM Mufti had written to her Bihar counterpart stating that there was no better person - in terms of probity in political and public life - who could receive this award. She also threw light on Kumar’s links with J&K, when as Union railways minister had laid foundation stones for Anantnag and Baramulla rail lines.
Nitish's award comes at a time when he has been crusading for social campaigns like total alcohol prohibition, and awareness against dowry and child marriages in Bihar.
Apart from the award ceremony, a memorial lecture has also been organised and will be delivered by Indian-origin UK politician Lord Meghnad Desai.
Both Kumar and Sayeed were cabinet colleagues in the V P Singh government at the Centre.
