Mangalore : Addressing the gathering after receiving the Dr. TMA Pai Foundation annual award for outstanding Konkani-speaking people on Saturday, R. V. Deshpande, the former minister, said that all sections of society must develop for true social and economic progress in India.

The award was also conferred on N. Yogish Bhat, the deputy speaker of the legislative assembly, and Eknath K. Thakur, the chairman of the Saraswat Cooperative Bank Limited.

Sarathchandra Shenoy, a writer of Kochi, also received the Dr. TMA Pai Foundation Award for the best Konkani book.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Yogish Bhat said that India can become a great economic power because it has a huge youth population.

In his address, Mr. Thakur said that success is possible only by hard work, zeal, determination, and optimism.

Ramdas M. Pai, the chancellor of Manipal University; T. Mohandas Pai, the president of the foundation; M. V. Kamath, the veteran journalist; and H. Shantharam, the administrative officer of the Academy of General Education, were also present.