Mr. Elango Rangasamy wins United Way Chennai's Championship Award for 2016. He is helping rebuild/ repair 600 houses, with the support of the village community, at an unbelievable cost of Rs. 12,000/- per house as a part of UWC's Post- Flood rehabilitation effort.
Mahatma Gandhi's dream of Gram Swaraj has been fulfilled by Shri Ramasamy Elango, said Maharashtra Govenor, K Sankaranarayanan while bestowing the Man of the Year award on Mr Elango."Through the power of persuasion he changed the heart of several people and brought about the transformation of the entire village of Kuthambakkam.
Elango receiving the ‘One India One People’ Outstanding Indian Award’ in 2009 from former External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna
The Sat Paul Mittal Award for outstanding service to humanity was instituted in 1992 by Nehru Sidhant Kender Trust, Ludhiana in the fond memory of its Founder President Late Shri Sat Paul Mittal. The award was later rechristened as the Sat Paul Mittal National Award in 1998 and the Trust also instituted the Sat Paul Mittal Appreciation Award in 2012.
A former scientist, Rangaswamy returned to his roots and decided to develop villages through reforming the Panchayati Raj system. The Kuthambakkam village in Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, is an example of, how if rural economy is pushed and women and youth of villages empowered, India's rural map can be changed.
Elango is unleashing local village leaders towards building economies of permanence within rural India. Having demonstrated that effective and participative planning in local governance can dramatically improve village development.