Lokmanya Tilak Award to Ajit Doval , Doval says freedom should not be understood merely

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today presented the Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026 to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Pune, Maharashtra. On the occasion, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Smt. Sunetra Pawar, Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, along with several other dignitaries, were present.

Shri Amit Shah said that today Shri Ajit Doval has been conferred the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. He said that an award is not merely a medal; it is a means of inspiring people and acknowledging the outstanding contributions of eminent individuals. When a person makes an extraordinary contribution in any field of society, he ceases to remain just an individual and rises far above, becoming an enduring source of inspiration.

freedom should not be understood merely

Shri Doval after receiving Lokmanya Tilak National Award stressed that freedom should not be understood merely as the liberty to do whatever one desires, urging the younger generation to reflect on Lokmanya Tilak’s vision for India and his contribution to nation-building.

Addressing the Lokmanya Tilak National Award ceremony in Pune, Doval drew a contrast between the freedom enjoyed by the present generation and the difficult circumstances in which Lokmanya Tilak lived and worked, saying the struggles and hardships of that era are difficult for today’s youth to fully imagine.

“To truly understand Lokmanya Tilak’s life and the depth of his character, one must grasp the context of that era, the constraints and the wretched conditions of the time, realities that perhaps we, and especially the youth, struggle to fully imagine,” Doval said.

The NSA urged the younger generation to reflect on Lokmanya Tilak’s words, his vision for India and the spirit of nation-building that he embodied.

“Every Indian, especially our youth, needs to reflect on his words, consider the vision he held for India and the spirit of nation-building he embodied,” he said. (UPDATED ON 1ST AUGUST 2026)