Three Indian expats from the UAE are amongst those who won the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award the highest honour conferred on Indian diaspora.

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the award on Girish Pant, Surender Singh Kandhari and Dr Zulekha Daud and other awardees at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in Varanasi today.

Girish Pant, a social worker has been instrumental in rescuing several Indian sailors stranded in UAE waters. He has also helped several other Indians in distress in coordination with the Indian Consulate in Dubai.

Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple, is a philanthropist, businessman and a long-term Dubai resident.

Dr Zulekha, founder and chairperson of Zulekha Healthcare Group, who came to the UAE in 1964, is believed to be the first female practising doctor in the country.