Maharashtra government's prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan Award for this year has been jointly awarded to Dr Abhay Bang and Dr Rani Bang for their exemplary service in tribal areas of Gadchiroli district, Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde announced in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The Bangs are known for their service in the tribal-nominated district through an NGO 'Search'. The doctor couple's Barefoot Doctor Scheme has won accolades from UNICEF and WHO.

Incidentally, the state government had recently rejected the findings of a report compiled by the Bangs about malnutrition deaths in the tribal areas.

The couple told the Indian Express that they never expected the honour considering their criticism of the state government.

Asked about it, Shinde said, "We may have differences but their (Bangs') contribution is extraordinary and we have to encourage them."

A high-level committee of the government had recently decided to consider personalities from fields like social awareness, journalism, public administration and medical services for the coveted award, the chief minister said.

Earlier, the state's highest award was given only to persons from literature, arts, sports and science.

The award comprises Rs 500,000, a citation and a memento.

Previous recipients of the award include P L Deshpande, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Vijay Bhatkar and Bhimsen Joshi.