Assam to Honor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Rana Pratap Kalita with Assam Baibhav Award; Other Prestigious Awards Announced

The Assam Cabinet has decided to confer the prestigious Assam Baibhav award, the highest civilian honor of the state, upon Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Rana Pratap Kalita for 2024. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma following the cabinet meeting held this evening. Lt. Gen. Kalita, a proud son of Assam, served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command.

In addition, the recipients of the Assam Saurav and Assam Gaurav awards were also revealed. The Assam Saurav award will be presented to several distinguished individuals, including Subramaniam Ramadorai, the founding chairman of TCS from Tamil Nadu; two Assam-based scientists, Dr. Bappi Paul and Dr. Purabi Saikia; renowned singer Dwipen Baruah; mobile theatre dramatist Hemanta Dutta; and woman cricketer Uma Chetry. Ramadorai also served as the director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Guwahati for six years.

The Assam Gaurav award will be presented to a range of notable personalities, such as Phuleswari Dutta for vulture conservation, Meenakshi Das for her achievements as a woman biker, and Partib Sundar Gogoi for his contribution to football. Other recipients include Dhirendra Nath Paul (terracotta artist), Haridas Das (bell metal artist), Binong Teron (free coaching for competitive exams), Nazrul Hoque (aquaculture), Biswajit Bora (integrated agricultural farming), Bharat Kalita (milk revolution), Barlangfa Narzary (Bodo literature and culture), Ram Sasoni (tea community folk dance), Upamanyu Borkakoty (startup), and David Pratim Gogoi (startup).

For the first time, three institutions/communities will also receive the Assam Gaurav award: Choran Ahem of Nagaon district for eco-tourism, Barekuri Village of Tinsukia district for wildlife conservation, and Hati Bondhu NGO of Nagaon district for their contribution to wildlife conservation.

The awards will be presented by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on March 30, 2025.