Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often described as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It honours individuals and organisations for integrity, courage and service to the people of Asia. In 2018, two Indians were selected for this prestigious award, and this question asks you to identify that pair from the options given. Such questions are common in current affairs and general studies exams.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The award is the Ramon Magsaysay Award for the year 2018.
- The focus is specifically on the Indian winners.
- The options include pairs of names, some Indian and some foreign, related to different peace and human rights honours.
- We assume the official Ramon Magsaysay Foundation announcements as the reference.
- Only one pair corresponds to the real Indian awardees for 2018.
Concept / Approach:
In 2018, two Indians received the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Bharat Vatwani, a psychiatrist, was recognised for his work in rescuing, treating and reuniting mentally ill homeless people with their families. Sonam Wangchuk, an education reformer from Ladakh, was honoured for his innovative work in education and community based problem solving. Remembering this pair and eliminating other distractor pairs is the straightforward approach to solve the question.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award notes in current affairs usually highlight two Indian names together, namely Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk.
Step 2: Recognise that Kailash Satyarthi is associated with the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 and Arvind Kejriwal is a political leader, and this pair does not match the 2018 Magsaysay list.
Step 3: Bhuwan Ribhu and Asmita Satyarthi are connected to child rights activism but are not recorded as Ramon Magsaysay Award winners for 2018.
Step 4: Nadia Murad and Juan Manuel Santos are global figures linked to the Nobel Peace Prize in different years rather than the Asian award being asked here.
Step 5: Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar are famous Indian activists but not the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay laureates.
Step 6: Therefore, Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk is the only pair that correctly matches the 2018 Indian winners.
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification is to picture the common one line summary in exam guides: in 2018, the Ramon Magsaysay Award went to the Indian winners Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk for their work in mental health and education respectively. The award is often mentioned alongside brief descriptions of their contributions, which helps distinguish them clearly from other prominent activists and politicians. As no other pair in the options fits this description, this independent memory check confirms the answer.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B (Kailash Satyarthi and Arvind Kejriwal) is wrong because Satyarthi is mainly linked to the Nobel Peace Prize and Kejriwal is known as a political leader, not as a Magsaysay awardee in 2018.
Option C (Bhuwan Ribhu and Asmita Satyarthi) is wrong because although they work in child rights, they are not recorded as Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients for that year.
Option D (Nadia Murad and Juan Manuel Santos) is wrong because they are Nobel Peace Prize laureates from outside India, not Indian Magsaysay awardees.
Option E (Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar) is wrong because these Indian activists have received other honours but were not the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award winners.
Common Pitfalls:
The most common mistake is confusing different peace and public service awards, for example mixing up Nobel Peace Prize winners with Ramon Magsaysay laureates. Another pitfall is to choose a very famous activist pair without paying attention to the exact year mentioned. Some learners also assume that any well known social activist from India must have received the Magsaysay Award, which is not true. A focused revision of award winners by year and category greatly reduces such confusion.
Final Answer:
The Indian winners of the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award were Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk.
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