Brahamjit Kalia, District Education Officer, U.T. and Raksha Gupta, a teacher at Government Primary School, Manimajra-I, will receive this award by the President of India, on September 7. The award contains a medal, a commendation certificate and Rs 10,000.

Every year two teachers from UT, each from primary and senior secondary category, are selected for this award.

Kalia, who got a state award for teaching in 1997, joined the profession in 1968 as a Maths lecturer at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 20. He has also served as the principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, for about four years and was promoted as DEO, UT Education Department, last year.

Raksha Gupta, is also a recipient of state award. During 35 years of service "I have worked in slums and colonies. The students' attendance in my school rose from 200 to 725", she says, adding: "It was because of special attention given to the poor children. Also, I took a lot of interest in their personal problems." She has also been awarded as the best teacher by Lions Club. "I could do all this with the support of my husband," she says.