INDIA'S TOP TWO STUDENT VOLUNTEERS NAMED IN THE 4th ANNUAL 'PRAMERICA SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARDS'

28 others recognized for their remarkable community service efforts

Noted film actress Ms. Dia Mirza congratulates the finalists from different parts of the country

New Delhi - 30 school students in Classes VI to XII from across the country were felicitated for their extraordinary efforts in the area of community service at the 4th annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards ceremony at The Eros Hotel, Nehru Place, New Delhi. These finalists were shortlisted from over 5,000 applications received in a nationwide search for the country’s top student volunteers. Noted film actress and social activist Ms. Dia Mirza was the Chief Guest at the event.

This prestigious awards programme organized by DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance Co. (DPLI) is the India chapter of the Spirit of Community Awards, the largest youth recognition programme in the United States based exclusively on volunteer service. Introduced in 1995 by Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI), DPLI’s international Joint Venture partner, the U.S. programme has seen participation from nearly 370,000 school students and more than 100,000 of them have been officially recognized for their meaningful contributions towards their communities. India is the 6th country outside the United States to conduct the Awards programme. Other participating countries include PFI subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and China.

The top honours in the Individual Category went to Aakash Pawar, a Class XI student of Sahoday Senior Secondary School, Hauz Khas, New Delhi , who has been teaching underprivileged children and conducting holistic development programs for them for almost 7 years through his own NGO, Nai Tamanna and Maneka Sharma, a Class XII student of The Shri Ram School, Aravali, Gurgaon for her efforts towards water conservation, including authoring a book on the topic to encourage children to save water. Both the winners were presented with gold medallions, a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 each, and a return trip to Washington, D.C. in May 2014. While in Washington, D.C., they will represent India in the felicitation ceremonies for Spirit of Community Award winners from all participating countries.

The two national winners were selected by an eminent jury panel comprising Ms. Amita Tandon , Education Specialist with UNICEF, Mr. Anil Baijal , retired IAS Officer and Chairman of the IDFC Foundation; Prof. Raj S. Dhankar , Dean of Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, Ms. Soha Moitra , Regional Director - North in CRY; and Mr. Vishvesh Prabhakar , Managing Director - Operations at Accenture Management Consulting.

The jury also selected a group of five students from Class VIII, Rachana School, Ahmedabad as the winner in the Group Category for their initiative to set up a butterfly garden in their school and working to develop and nurture it. They were presented with gold medallions and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 to be shared among them. 15 other well deserving finalists in the Individual Category and 8 more in the Group Category received Certificates of Merit and Silver medallions.

Addressing the finalists at the awards ceremony, Mr. Anoop Pabby, CEO, DPLI said, “The Spirit of Community Awards was created to identify and recognize young volunteers who are engaged in community service, and to encourage other young people to get involved in their communities. We hope that by recognizing their accomplishments, we can send out a loud message to other youngsters across the country that community service is valuable and rewarding – and hopefully inspire them to think about how they might contribute to their communities.”

The national recognition events for Spirit of Community Awards winners held in Washington, D.C. every year include gala award ceremonies at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, tours of the capital’s historic monuments and landmarks, a festive dinner cruise on the Potomac River, and plenty of opportunity for the students to share their experiences and ideas with one another. The winners also hear from notable public figures, which in the past have included Jimmy Carter, Barbara Bush, Whoopi Goldberg, Colin Powell, Sarah Ferguson (the Duchess of York), Laura Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Ian Manning and Kevin Spacey.

About DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance (DPLI)

DPLI is a joint venture between Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. (DHFL), India’s second largest private sector housing finance company and Prudential International Insurance Holdings, Ltd. (PIIH), a fully owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI), a financial services leader headquartered in the U.S. DPLI represents the coming together of two renowned financial services organizations with a legacy of business excellence spread over decades. The life insurance joint venture agreement between the two partners was signed in July 2013.

DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance, which was earlier known as DLF Pramerica Life Insurance started operations in India on September 01, 2008 and has a pan India presence through multiple distribution channels which have been customized to address the specific insurance needs of diverse customer segments. The Company is committed to providing protection and quality financial advice to its customers.

For further information on the Company, please visit www.dhflpramerica.com.

About PFI

Pramerica* is a trade name used by Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI), a company incorporated and with its principal place of business in the United States, and its affiliated companies in select countries outside the United States. PFI (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with more than ,1 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2013, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. PFI’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., PFI’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. Prudential Financial, Inc. of the United States is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.