Guwahati, Oct 23: The Assam government will institute a national-level award in the name of legendary singer and cultural icon Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, with renowned singer Usha Mangeshkar chosen as its first recipient.
The Assam Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur on Friday, approved the institution of the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Award to honour outstanding contributions to music and culture and carry forward the legacy of the Bard of the Brahmaputra.
The award will be conferred once every three years on an internationally or nationally recognised personality in music, arts or cinema. It will comprise a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh.
Mangeshkar has been selected for the inaugural award in recognition of her contribution to Indian music and her association with Hazarika’s musical works.
The award will be presented at the concluding ceremony of Hazarika’s birth centenary celebrations in New Delhi on November 29.
The decision comes as Assam marks the centenary of Hazarika, whose music, poetry and films helped shape the cultural identity of the Northeast and carried its stories to audiences across India.
In another decision related to the state’s cultural honours, the Cabinet increased the cash prize for the prestigious Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Award to Rs. 15 lakh.
The Cabinet also finalised recipients of the 2025 state civilian awards, which will be presented in December.
Dr. Harsha Bhattacharjee will receive the Assam Baibhav, while the Assam Saurav will be conferred on wildlife expert Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma, arts director Nuruddin Ahmed, singer Pulak Banerjee and Hargila conservationist Dr. Purnima Devi Barman.
The Assam Gaurav recipients include social worker Devi Prasad Bagrodia, footballer Holicharan Narzary, cricketer Simu Das, manuscript conservationist Dhanjit Talukdar and chess player Mayank Chakrabarty, among others.
The Cabinet also approved a proposed investment of Rs. 303.69 crore by Welspun Group company Weetek Plastic Private Limited to establish a manufacturing unit in Rangia, Kamrup district. The project is expected to generate 300 jobs.
It approved amended rules for limestone grading and royalty collection, linking royalties to the quality of extracted limestone, and cleared election rules for the Mising and Sonowal Kachari autonomous councils. Elections to both councils have been advised to be held in November.
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