K.A. Beena Wins the Statesman Rural Reporting Award for Series of Articles in The AIDEM

Journalist and author K.A. Beena has been awarded the prestigious Statesman Rural Reporting Award 2025. The award was conferred at a ceremony held in Kolkata on September 16.

Beena received the honor for her investigative reports on the theme: “Has Dalit/Women’s Reservation in the Panchayati Raj System Changed the Power Equations in Indian Villages?” The series of articles, which won her the award, were published in The AIDEM ( www.theaidem.com ), the multilingual portal.

“Permanently on the precipice: Sujatha’s Life As Panchayat President And After” and “Turmoil, Triumph (of sorts) and Tyranny In a Decentralisation Platform Marred By Caste Oppression“. These articles are also published in the book form in Malayalam under the title “Aa Kasera Aarudethanu?” (“Whose Chair Is It?”).

Apart from her career as a writer, Beena has served as a senior officer in the Indian Information Service, working as News Editor in Doordarshan and All India Radio. She retired as Deputy Director of the Central Bureau of Communication.

The Statesman Rural Reporting Award, instituted in 1978 by The Statesman newspaper, honors outstanding reporting on issues relating to India’s rural landscape.

Read KA Beena’s award winning stories here:

Permanently On the Precipice: Sujatha’s Life As Panchayat President And After

Turmoil, Triumph (of sorts) and Tyranny In a Decentralisation Platform Marred By Caste Oppression

മരണവാൾതുമ്പിൽ സുജാത രമേശിന്റെ ജീവിതം

जातीय उत्पीड़न से प्रभावित विकेंद्रीकरण व्यवस्था के उतार – चढ़ाव