Union Home Minister Amit Shah conferred the Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2022 to spiritual leader and social activist Dattatreya Narayan alias Appasaheb Dharmadhikari at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. Adressing the gathering, Amit Shah said, “Appasaheb Dharmadikari has played a significant role in social reforms. The disciplines and dedicated workers whose lives he has shaped through his own example speaks of his great contribution.” Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The Maharashtra Bhushan Award to Appasaheb Dharmadikari is an expression of gratitude by the state government for the mammoth work done by the veteran social worker.” He further added that the selfless social work by lakhs of Dharmadikari followers in diverse fields has set the highest ideal. “The state government is thankful for getting thus honour to confer the award to Dharmadikari,” Fadnavis said.
Elaborate arrangements were made for the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony at the sprawling Corporate Park in Kharghar for a crowd of about 15 to 20 lakh coming from different places like Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nashik, Mumbai and Thane, on private vehicles, state transport buses and trains.The state government in an official release earlier said 250 water tankers and 2,100 taps were installed at the venue, along with 69 ambulances, 350 doctors, 100 nurses, 32 mobile toilets, 4,200 portable toilets, and 9,000 temporary toilets.The state transport department banned heavy vehicles like dumpers, trucks, tankers, and multi-axle 16-tonne-plus trailers on the Kharghar to Insuli stretch of Mumbai Goa highway number 66, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Mumbai-Pune old highway and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway on Saturday and Sunday.The Maharashtra Bhushan Award was instituted when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came to power in 1995.It was initially given to personalities in the fields of literature, sports, and science, before being expanded to include those from social work, journalism, public administration, and health services.