Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu gives away Gopinath Bordoloi Award

 CENTRE FOCUSING ON ALL-ROUND DEVELOPMENT OF NE: NAIDU

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The NDA Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on all-around development of the Northeastern region, Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu said this on Sunday while presenting the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Award for National Integration and Contribution, 2021 at Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium here.

The award went to eminent writer Nirode Kumar Barooah, members of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust and members of the Shillong Chamber Choir.

Based in Germany, Nirod Kumar Baruah has many books on Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi to his credit.

Set up in 2001, Shillong Chamber Choir has become famous internationally for its choruses.

Since January 9, 1946. Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust has been working for rural women and children of the region.

The Vice President said, "As you are indeed aware, the Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused on the need to promote all-round development of the North-Eastern Region. As initiatives over the past seven-and-a-half years reveal, development, peace and prosperity have been the top priorities for the Central Government. One recent example is the historic Karbi Anglong Agreement signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to end the decades-old crisis ensuring Assam's territorial integrity."

"I am certain that the Union government's special development package of around Rs 1000 crore to undertake specific projects for the development of Karbi areas will ensure fast-track growth and progress here," Naidu said. The Central government's thrust to improve air connectivity in the region is an integral part of the 'Act East Policy. It will fill a critical gap in this sector, he said.

"The Central Government's focus on the need for accelerated progress of the Northeast can be seen in a range of initiatives it has undertaken. The NER District SDG Index & Dashboard, a collaborative effort by NITI Aayog and Ministry of DoNER, with technical support from UNDP, is the first of its kind in the country as it concentrates exclusively on the Northeast," he said.

"As you know, both the Union Government and the Assam government have initiated and implemented a host of initiatives to promote entrepreneurship by creating a vibrant ecosystem in the Northeastern region. I am certain that all these progressive steps will cumulatively help Assam, as also the other states of the region – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura – to scale higher peaks of progress and development," he said.

Terming Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi as one of the founders of modern India, the Vice President said that Bordoloi was a visionary leader whose unparalleled contribution to protecting India's integrity and sovereignty in the turbulent times of partition deserved a special mention.

As the first chief minister of the state Bordoloi had implemented an array of progressive industrial policies and was also responsible for establishing several educational institutions, including Gauhati University, Naidu said.

"More than seven decades have elapsed since his premature demise, Bordoloi occupies a revered place in the hearts of the people of Assam in particular, and the nation in general," the Vice President added.

Congratulating the recipients, Naidu noted that Nirode Kumar Barooah had to come from Germany. "Barooahji's sterling contribution lies in introducing Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi to the larger international audience through his valuable research work and books," he said.

He also lauded members of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, Assam branch for their stellar contribution to the cause of reconstructing the lives of rural women and children through their initiatives.

Congratulating the members of the Shillong Chamber Choir, he said it was in recognition of their contribution to the cause of national integration through music and culture. "Music and culture can promote national integration, especially when divisive forces are trying to weaken the country. The need of the hour is to promote peace and make the country strong and prosperous," he added.

Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi expressed happiness to be a part of the event and extended his best wishes and congratulations to the recipients of the award. He urged them to continue with their work to enrich society more than ever.

The Governor said that Bordoloi sacrificed his whole life to build a new Assam and a new Assamese society where all sections of the people irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language and the ethnic group could live in peace and amity.

The prestigious Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Award for National Integration and Contribution was instituted by the Assam government in 1993. The award carries a cash amount of Rs 5.00 lakh, a citation and a shawl.

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