Guwahati: The covered Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi awards for national Integration and contribution for the year 2021 to the renowned author Dr Nirode Kumar Barooah, Assam branch of Kasturba Gandhi national memorial trust and the Shillong chamber choir were presented by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu in presence of Assam Governor professor Jagdish Mukhi, State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with others on Sunday in Shrimanta Shankardeva Kalakshetra.
The prestigious award in memory of Assam’s most revered political personality, who used to be the State’s first chief minister, Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi was instituted by Assam government in 1993. The Award carrying a cash amount of rupees 5 lakh, a citation and a shawl with others, is presented to an Indian national and persons of eminence for their contributions in national development of inclusive growth.
Paying glowing tributes to freedom fighter Gopinath Bordoloi, Vice-President Naidu commented that Lokpriya (loved by all) was a visionary leader whose unparalleled contribution to protecting Bharat’s integrity and sovereignty in the turbulent times of partition deserved a special mention. Bordoloi implemented an array of progressive industrial policies and was also instrumental in establishing a number of educational institutions, including Gauhati University.
“Lokpriya Bordoloi was one of the makers of Modern India. He was a self-made leader with many outstanding qualities of head and heart and who came to be revered as the builder of modern Assam. A front-ranking freedom fighter, he threw himself into the non-cooperation movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi for which he was arrested in 1922. It would be apt to say that Gopinath Bordoloi was Lokpriya in true sense of the term,” said Naidu.
Governor Mukhi in his address congratulated all the recipients including eminent historian Nirode Barooah. Reminiscing Lokapriya after whom the awards were given the Governor said that Bordoloi sacrificed his whole life to build a new Assam and Assamese society where all sections of the people irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language and ethnic group could live in peace and amity.
Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi awards presented by Vice-President
