Hyderabad, 28 April, 2021: Telugu Liberal Political activist Raghavendar Askani has been Awarded for the prestigious REX Karmaveer Chakra Award and e-REX Global Youth Fellowship (e-RKGYF 2020-2021) in association with The Campus Connect in instituted by iCONGO in partnership with United Nations (UN).
Raghavendar received this award for his ingenious works on Youth empowerment, Civic engagement, Policy education, Advocacy and Liberal solutions. He has conducted various awareness, training programs on political systems and its policies, Liberal democracy, transparency and accountability, civil liberties, entrepreneurship education and public policy.
The REX Karmaveer Global Youth Fellowship & Karmaveer Chakra Awards aims to identify and encourage new generations of leaders who will provide long-term solutions with diverse ideas, innovative practices to the many problems of society today. Over the past 15 years, the ICONGO - International Confederation of NGOs must honor individual work done by people to "be the change" and/or walk offbeat road (as innovators, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, free thinking crusaders etc) or any field of work that inspires and brings in Growth Mindset.
"The Karmaveer award is the most credible honor, because of your guiding principles of egalitarianism, simplicity, austerity, fairness and integrity. - APJ Abdul Kalam.
Raghavendar started his student activism through promoting the Anti-Corruption movement, inspired by Dr. Jayaprakash Narayana and Anna Hazare. He started his focus towards politics and efforts to reform political systems. Under Leadership of JP Narayan, Askani started working as a student and youth leader for the Loksatta party.
He engaged with various initiatives of Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan and Loksatta party such as Foundation for democratic reforms, Loksatta movement , Surajya movement, Youth for better India.
Raghavendar Askani was National Co-Ordinator of Youth for Better India, One of leading and most influential youth organizations that promoted anti-corruption bills and institutions that advanced transparency and accountability in India.
He participated in over 20 international conferences in representing various Indian institutions on liberal reforms, Civil liberties, economic education and economic development organized by repeated international think tanks like Foundation for Economic Education, Acton Institute, Leadership Institute, Ayn Rand Institute Language of Liberty, and European Liberal Youth (LYMEC).
With huge inspiration and experience from the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) summer seminar, Askani Founded the Youth Parliament Program (YPP) with advice from Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan and Venkatesh Geriti. The YPP initiative was widely Supported by multiple well known youth organizations. YPP engaged youth on various aspects such as Education, Health, Electoral and Political Reforms, Local Governments and Citizen-centered governance, Governance Reforms. Youth Parliament Program has created a considerable impact on matters such as Citizens’ Charter Bill, National Education Policy and Agricultural Policy in India.
Through Youth Parliament sessions across the state of Telangana the organization was able to identify, engage and nurture some of the brightest minds Youth Parliament Programs (YPP) mentored the youngsters and helped them to pursue careers in policy through internships, opportunities in Civil Society Organizations, Think Tanks and CSR initiatives. YPP were successful in creating the next generation of leaders. Many of them are changing the society in real time through Right to information act- RTI and Public interest litigation - IPL and creating Policies. YPP also witnessed some of its members contesting elections in Telugu states.
Raghavendar is also co-founder of Swatantrata Center, a liberal public policy think-tank that focuses on ideas and policies that cause human flourishing.
Swatantrata Center envisioning and building a free as well as a prosperous society where every individual has a choice and opportunity to lead life with dignity, Swatantrata center works on lifting barriers to human flourishing by advancing choice and opportunity through policy education, grassroot advocacy, and digital activism.
The work of Swatantrata is to deepen democracy and enhance community participation. The organization’s work has been a pioneer in mentoring the youngsters and building character and competence in them for nation building.