Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Ahead of the 77th Republic Day celebrations, five personalities from Assam and an equal number from five other states in the Northeast have been selected for the prestigious Padma Awards. They have made it to the list of 131 individuals selected to receive the prestigious awards from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
From Assam, Xatriya exponent Haricharan Saikia, artist and sculptor Nuruddin Ahmed, silk expert Jogesh Deuri, Karbi folk music exponent Pokhila Lekthepi, and former Union Minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kabindra Purkayastha (posthumously) have been conferred with the Padma Shri award.
Those selected for the Padma Awards from other NE states are: Yumnam Jatra Singh (posthumous) of Manipur; Hally War of Meghalaya; Techi Gubin of Arunachal Pradesh; Sangyusang S. Pongener of Nagaland; and Naresh Chandra Dev Varma of Tripura.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated the 5 Padma Awards winners, posting on his X handle today, “Assam beams with pride as its sons and daughters are honoured with the prestigious #PadmaAwards...Heartiest congratulations to Shri Haricharan Saikia, Shri Jogesh Deuri, Smt. Pokhila Lekthepi and Shri Nuruddin Ahmed for their outstanding service to society and the nation...It is also a proud moment for us that Late Kabindra Purkayastha Ji has been conferred with the Padma Shri (posthumous) for his contributions to public service...The contributions of all the awardees inspire us all – Assam is immensely proud of their achievements.”
Every year on the eve of Republic Day, the country announces the Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honours, to honour exceptional service across various fields.
Also Read: Assam: President confers Padma awards on three cultural icons of state