NEW DELHI: All India Radio’s (AIR) Malayalam programme 'Nilkkam Ivarkkoppam' (Stand Beside Them…) has bagged the first award in the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union’s Community Service Announcement category.

The awards were announced at a glittering award function held at Ankara in Turkey on the side-lines of 52nd ABU General Assembly & Associated Meetings over the weekend.

The programme has been scripted and produced by Biju Mathew, a Programme Executive in the Thiruvanthapuram station of AIR.

The award comprises a cash prize of $2000, a certificate and a statuette.

Child Labour has been affecting human society through its problematic developing issues all over the world. Millions of children are engaged in hazardous situations, conditions, exposed to dangerous chemicals, and machinery daily. Child labour must stop, and we can achieve this only through continuous awareness campaigns and action plans.

The work and words of Nobel laureates Kailash Sathyarthi and Malala Yusufzai inspires masses to fight against this social evil.

‘Nilkkam Ivarkkoppam’ (Stand Beside Them…) is part of such an initiative taken up by AIR.

Mathew has already won several International and National Awards for his radio programmes has brought laurels.