GUWAHATI: The Assam Cabinet has approved the institution of a national-level award named the ‘Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Award’ to honour personalities who have made outstanding contributions to music and culture.
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The award aims to preserve and promote the legacy of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, popularly known as the Bard of the Brahmaputra.
It will be conferred once every three years on an internationally or nationally recognised personality from the fields of music, arts or cinema.
The inaugural award will be presented to renowned singer Usha Mangeshkar in recognition of her contribution to Indian music and her association with Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s musical works.
The award comprises a citation and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh. It will be presented at the concluding ceremony of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s birth centenary celebrations in New Delhi on November 29.
In another decision, the State Cabinet has increased the cash prize for the prestigious Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Award to ₹15 lakh, reflecting its stature as a premier cultural honour.
