Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Veteran singer Usha Mangeshkar will receive the inaugural Dr. Bhupen Hazarika National Award. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to present the prize on November 29. The ceremony takes place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It marks the conclusion of a year-long celebration for the late musician, who was born in 1926 and passed away in 2011.
The prize includes a citation and Rs 10 lakh. Officials will hand it out once every three years. The cabinet chose the recipient to honor achievements in music and cinema similar to Hazarika’s legacy. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the details following a cabinet meeting on October 23.
Sarma said, "The award will be conferred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the closing ceremony of Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s birth centenary celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on November 29."
Between 5,000 and 7,000 people should attend the event. Performers like Shankar Mahadevan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, and Shreya Ghoshal will pay musical tribute. The day also features an exhibition of the late artist's work. Hazarika, often called the Bard of the Brahmaputra, received the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2019.
The Assam cabinet finalized other major business during the same session. They raised the Srimanta Sankardeva Award cash prize from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. That award will also be presented at Bharat Mandapam on October 29. Additionally, the Welspun Group will build a Rs 300 crore project in Rangia, Kamrup. This industry promises jobs for 300 people. Finally, the cabinet passed new election rules for the Mising Autonomous Council and the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council, clearing the way for elections this November.
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