The Assam cabinet announced that the state government will institute the Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award, with singer Usha Mangeshkar selected as its first recipient.
The award, which carries a cash component of ₹ 10 lakh and a citation, will be presented to Mangeshkar on November 29 in New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sarma said the cabinet had decided to increase the prize amount of the Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev International Award from the existing ₹ 10 lakh to ₹ 15 lakh. “The award will be presented every three years. Four eminent persons — wildlife veterinarian and conservationist Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma, sculptor and set designer Padma Shri Nuruddin Ahmed, singer Pulak Banerjee and conservationist Purnima Devi Barman — would be conferred the Asom Saurabh awards, the CM informed.
It will be a national award conferred to an internationally acclaimed singer, composer, lyricist, movie director, actor or any other field related to the works of Hazarika,” he said. The ceremony will mark the conclusion of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday after the cabinet meeting.
