Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the C. Kesavan award for 2023 to Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos here on Monday.
The Chief Minister said that though Mar Cleemis Baselios was a huge presence on the spiritual front, he had made significant contributions to the betterment of the lives of the poor.
C. Kesavan, he said, was a rare individual who had waged a huge struggle against social evils in Kerala. He laid the foundations of democracy in the making of a secular society in the State.
C. Kesavan Smaraka Samithi patron and former Transport Minister K. Raju presided over the function. Former Speaker M. Vijayakumar delivered the keynote address. Samithi president Aneesh K. Ayilara spoke.