Dr Zakir Naik wins King Faisal International Prize

executive@coastaldigest.com (Agencies)
February 4, 2015

Riyadh, Feb 4: Dr Zakir A. Naik, president of the Islamic Research Foundation of India has won the 2015 King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Service to Islam.

Zakir Naik

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and KFIP Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Othaimeen announced the names of the winners at a glittering function held at Al-Khozama Center on Tuesday.

Two internationally acclaimed scholars of chemistry, Professor Omar Mwannes Yaghi from the United States and Professor Michael Gratzel from Switzerland, were declared co-winners of the prize in science category (chemistry).

The award for Islamic studies went to Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Kaki, a consultant at Madinah Development Authority.

Prof. Jeffrey Ivan Gordon from the US was declared winner of the prize in medicine. Each prize consists of a handwritten Arabic certificate summarizing the laureate’s work, a commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medal and a cash award of SR750,000.

The co-winners in any category share the monetary grant.

According to the citation read out by Al-Othaimeen, Naik, a non-Arabic Indian Islamic scholar, has become a renowned authority on comparative religion. “He has founded a TV channel called Peace TV, which remains the only channel in the world specialized in comparative religion with huge audience profile,” said the citation.

Referring to the prize given in science category, the KFIP secretary-general said that Gratzel, a professor at Swiss Federal Institute, is recognized for “his foundational and practical discoveries in the development of photo-electrochemical systems for solar energy conversion.”

The co-winner in science category, Yaghi, has made seminal contributions in the field of metal organic frameworks.

He applauded the achievements of Kaki in Islamic studies for “his distinguished research on cultural heritage of Madinah.”

The award for Arabic language and literature was withheld as none of the nominees met the criteria laid down by the selection committee this year.

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Agencies
March 10,2025

ranya.jpg

Kannada actor Harshavardhini Ranya – also known as Ranya Rao, arrested for smuggling gold from Dubai – was allotted land to set up a steel plant by the previous Karnataka government in February 2023, said the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) said on Sunday.

Ranya Rao was found to be in possession of gold bars worth ₹12.56 crore at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Searches were also conducted at her residence, and gold jewellery worth ₹2.06 crore and Indian currency amounting to ₹2.67 crore were seized, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had said on Wednesday.

Ranya is the stepdaughter of DGP-rank senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao.

The KIADB's statement comes after reports claimed that a company linked to Ranya Rao was allotted 12 acres of industrial land by the board in 2023.

The office of the minister for medium and large industries MB Patil shared the government's final notification issued on February 22, 2023, regarding the allocation of land to Ranya Rao's firm Ksiroda India at the Sira Industrial Area in the Tumakuru district, news agency PTI reported.

The Congress came to power after defeating the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party in the Karnataka assembly election in May 2023.

The proceedings of the Karnataka government, shared by the minister's office, said, "Approval to the proposal of M/s Ksiroda India Private Limited to establish a unit for manufacture of 'steel products - TMT bars, rods and allied products' at Sira Industrial Area, Tumakuru district.

"The government is pleased to accord in-principle approval to the investment proposal of ₹138 crore, generating employment to about 160 persons with the following infrastructure assistances, incentives and concessions," it said.

In a press release issued by MB Patil's office, the KIADB said the allotment to the company linked to Ranjya Rao was done in January 2023.

KIADB CEO Mahesh said on Sunday Ksiroda India was allotted 12 acres of land on January 2, 2023, by the previous government, referring to the BJP, the PTI report added.

"The land, located in Sira Industrial Area, Tumakuru district, was approved for allotment during the 137th State Level Single Window Clearance Committee (SLSWCC) meeting held on the same day, when the last govt was in power," PTI quoted Mahesh as saying.

According to the KIADB press release, the company had submitted a proposal to set up a manufacturing unit for steel TMT bars, rods, and allied products, with an investment of ₹138 crore. The project was expected to generate approximately 160 jobs.

Ramachandra Rao is currently serving as the chairman and managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.

The total seizure in the case stood at ₹17.29 crore, including assets worth ₹4.73 crore, marking a significant blow to organised gold smuggling networks.

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