New Delhi:

Actor Sunny Deol got emotional today after hearing the story of a man who helped in the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation in Uttarakhand at the NDTV Indian Of The Year awards this evening. NDTV today honoured the rat-hole miners who played a vital role in evacuating 41 workers trapped in the tunnel. One of the miners narrated how they chipped in when the machines had failed to reach the trapped workers.

“We told them that we will do the job in 24-36 hours. But, in today’s day and age people believe more in diploma than in experience,” said the miner. They also spoke about the daily hardships that they go through even after doing a great deed.

Watch Emotional Sunny Deol Hugs Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Heroes At #NDTVIndianOfTheYear

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Sunny Deol teared up while hearing the stories of the real life heroes. He walked up to the stage and hugged the miners. He was later seen clicking selfies with them.

The 41 workers were stuck in a part of the tunnel for seventeen days after its partial collapse on November 12 last year.

The rat-hole miners manually drilled the final stretch of about 15 metres through the debris in the collapsed part of the tunnel to prepare an escape passage made of steel pipes for the trapped workers. The ‘rat hole’ mining process was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 for being unsafe and causing environmental pollution.

Rat-hole mining was the last strategy adopted by the rescuers after several attempts to reach the workers with the help of auger machines failed to produce the desired results. The larger drills also broke down repeatedly after hitting metal obstacles, specifically steel rods from the collapsed tunnel structure. This forced more pauses while laser cutters were deployed.

People can come to Goa, relax and also work, underscored Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, adding that his government is starting the digital nomad concept.  

“Every village is digitally connected. Har Ghar Fiber is being completed in Panjim. We are starting “Work From Beach”. We are starting the digital nomad concept. Under this, people can come to Goa, relax, and also work,” said Mr Sawant at the NDTV Indian Of The Year event in Delhi.

“We have launched a homestay policy and are readying the infra. We want to create human resources. We are making hospitality institutes and skilling up the youth,” the Chief Minster said.

Mr Sawant, 50, said his government is also working on building spiritual tourism.

“We welcome people for spiritual tourism. We have started the samudra aarti at promenade at the Miramar beach. Goa in future will be known as Dakshin Kashi. There are many temples. Private investment is coming for yoga wellness centres in Goa,” said the Chief Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly said India’s dream of “techade”, to describe the decade being dominated by technologies, will be fulfilled on the strength of its innovators.

“One of the good parts of startup India is we have set up incubators not limited to just IITs. The way the startup ecosystem has evolved, the focus has been on solving real problems… PM’s focus was on democraticising tech. Tech should be openly accessible,” he added further.

New Delhi:

NDTV will today present the ‘Indian Of The Year’ awards that acknowledge distinguished visionaries, political figures, sports icons, and entertainers who have not only fortified the pillars of our society but have also contributed to the development of India.

These awards will honour individuals who have displayed foresight, embraced uniqueness, and redefined the essence of ‘being a true Indian’. The aim of the initiative is to honour exceptional Indians from various fields. The awards recognise those who have thought ahead, dared to be different and redefined the meaning of ‘being a true Indian’.

Here are the live updates from NDTV’s Indian of the Year Awards:

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NDTV Indian of the Year Awards 

A discussion will be held on how India’s digital revolution has been amongst the biggest transformations the country has witnessed in the recent past

NDTV Indian of the Year Awards: The Aim 

The aim of the initiative is to honour exceptional Indians from various fields.

NDTV Indian of the Year Awards 

The awards recognise those who have thought ahead, dared to be different and redefined the meaning of ‘being a true Indian’.