Jaipur, April 7 - IANS journalist Anil Sharma is one of 20 people, including Anna Hazare and cabinet minister Jairam Ramesh, honoured by an international NGO working for animal rights.

The International Organization for Animal Protection, affiliated to the UN department of public information, picked the 20 for their contribution in the fields politics, social work and media.

A statement by the NGO, whose head office is in Italy, said 11 of the award winners are journalists in India. Anil Sharma is based in Jaipur.

Other winners include Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj and new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.