GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, July 26, felicitated Rupamoni Gorh, the first woman from Assam to scale Mount Everest, and announced a cash reward of ₹10 lakh in recognition of her achievement.
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At a ceremonial function held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur, the Chief Minister also honoured Assistant Commandant of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Bhanita Timungpi, who led the ITBP's all-women Everest expedition, with financial assistance of ₹2 lakh.
Rupamoni Gorh, a native of Na-Gaon Pathar village in Lakhimpur district, summited Mount Everest on May 21 as part of the 14-member ITBP All-Women's Everest Expedition organised under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs' Nari Shakti Vandan initiative. The expedition, which included 11 women climbers, was led by Bhanita Timungpi, an Assam-born mountaineer who has scaled more than 30 Himalayan peaks.
The Chief Minister also proposed appointing Rupamoni Gorh as a Sub-Inspector in Assam Police, subject to discussions with ITBP authorities, so she can help train and mentor aspiring mountaineers in the state.
To commemorate her achievement, the state government also announced that the one-kilometre road connecting her residence to Lilabari High School in Lakhimpur will be reconstructed and named Rupamoni Gorh Path.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister said Gorh's achievement marked a historic milestone in Assam's sporting history, noting that while several Assamese mountaineers had previously conquered Everest, she is the first woman from the state to do so.
He also highlighted Assam's mountaineering legacy, recalling that Tarun Saikia became the first Assamese to summit Mount Everest in 2013, followed by Manish Kumar Deka the same year. He said Nanda Dulal Das, Henry David Terang, Kharsing Terang and Nava Kumar Phukan also successfully climbed Everest in 2015.
Calling upon the youth to take up adventure sports, the Chief Minister said mountaineering offers promising career opportunities and assured the government's support for aspiring climbers. He also expressed pride that Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain led the Indian contingent during the opening march past of the ongoing Commonwealth Games.
The felicitation programme was attended by Minister of Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Rameswar Teli, Lakhimpur MLA Manab Deka, Rangapara MLA Krishna Kamal Tanti, Sports and Youth Welfare Department Special Secretary K. J. Hilaly, along with young mountaineers and other dignitaries.