Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday presented the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval in Pune.

According to the Tilak Smarak Trust, Doval has been selected for the prestigious award for his significant contribution to national security.

Doval, 81, has handled crucial assignments in sensitive regions, including Mizoram, Sikkim, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. He also served in diplomatic roles at Indian missions in Islamabad and London.

He is the longest-serving National Security Advisor of India. Doval has served as India's special representative for the India-China boundary talks and is also credited with playing an important role in diplomatic efforts that helped resolve the Doklam standoff.

Instituted in 1983, the Lokmanya Tilak Award was first conferred on socialist leader S M Joshi, the Trust had said.

It is awarded every year on August 1, the death anniversary of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, to individuals who have made a remarkable contribution to the nation's progress and development.Over the years, the award has been presented to several eminent personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former PMs Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, and Indira Gandhi, ex-President Pranab Mukherjee and veteran politician Sharad Pawar.

Separately, Shah paid tributes to legendary Marathi poet and social reformer Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe on his birth anniversary during his visit to Pune.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, joined Shah in the Sarasbaug area, where several local leaders and dignitaries also offered flowers to Sathe's statue.

Born on August 1, 1920, Annabhau Sathe was a legendary social reformer, folk poet, and pioneer of Dalit literature in Maharashtra.