Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was honoured with the first "Sant Tukaram Maharaj Award" on the occasion of Sant Tukaram Maharaj 375th Beej Pilgrimage in Dehu in Pune on Sunday, ANI reported.

"I am very happy today and feel lucky that I have been chosen for this award by the Temple Trust...I thank them from the bottom of my heart ...this award not only belongs to me but also to all of them who love me and my work. After getting this award my responsibilities have increased. I am so lucky that the land where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj had met, the same place I am getting this award," Shinde said after receiving the award.