The House of Lords member Lord John Beckett Taylor (Lord Taylor of Warwick) felicitated Rai in the Cholmondeley Room of the upper house of the British Parliament. Handing over the citation letter, Taylor lauded Rai’s stellar achievements in journalism. The World Book of Records had also awarded Rai’s fearless work in 2019.
The Overseas Friends of India (OFI) has also recognised the Sahara India Media's Executive Director, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Upendra Rai’s fearless journalism in a ceremony hosted in London. The group is affiliated with the House of Lords. Addressing the ceremony, Rai emphasized the importance of Hindi in reaching out to the Indian masses at the ground level. He began his speech with "Jai Hind, Jai Bharat" and shared his experiences in promoting Hindi as a language of mass media in India.
Rai highlighted PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's sincere efforts in promoting Hindi as a national language. Praising Shah’s love for the language, Rai quoted a senior Home Ministry official to share how the Minister had once torn apart a letter written in English by a senior bureaucrat stating that he would have appreciated it if it was in Hindi.
Rai said Hindi should be the primary language of communication, and English should only be used where necessary. He also expressed his gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him. Upendra Rai's well-deserved laurels are also being seen as global recognition of the Sahara India Family’s service in the media industry.