Monday, March 31, 2025

Assam NGO honours Garo Hills entrepreneur Layland Marak

Date:

Share post:

GUWAHATI, Dec 10: A farmer-entrepreneur and community leader from West Garo Hills has been honoured with the “Green Guru Award” at the Balipara Foundation Awards 2021 ceremony here on Thursday evening.

Layland Marak from Ganolgre village has helped his entire community under the Rongram Community and Rural Development (C&RD) Block to earn a better livelihood than the environmentally devastating practices of farming like shifting cultivation, rampant in the region.

Marak is engaged in processing and selling aloevera products through a self-help group (SHG) named Chizingjang. He has helped many to create immense opportunities to support fellow community members so they too can achieve their dreams.

The awards ceremony marked the culmination of the 9th edition of the Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum, the flagship annual event of the Balipara Foundation, an NGO based in Assam.

The forum, themed on ‘Ecology is Economy’, awards and recognises extraordinary visionaries of the Eastern Himalayas and their indomitable contribution every year.

These entrepreneurs received a Social Impact Recognition Award which comes with a Citation and a contribution to the organisation or individual from the Social Impact Recognition Fund of Balipara Foundation.

“The Lifetime Service Award 2021” was presented to Prabin Saikia of Assam by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Saikia, through self-curated, indigenous botanical library, ‘Banatirtha’, is preserving the age-old Assamese traditional knowledge in context to rituals, belief and medicinal usage of indigenous plants species. The botanical library is now habitat to many wild species like snakes, butterflies, lizards, birds, mongoose, amongst others.

Among the other awardees recognised by the forum are Ivan Zhimomi of Nagaland (The Rural Futures Rewilding Award 2021); Sonam Tashi Gyaltsen of Sikkim (The NaturenomicsTM Award 2021); Momee Pegu of Assam (Food for the Future Award 2021); Gopal Nag, a specially-abled farmer-entrepreneur from Assam (The Food for the Future Award 2021); Lalvohbika of Mizoram (The Young Naturalist Award 2021); Kime Rambia of Arunachal Pradesh (The Forest Ranger and Guards Award 2021); Manjit Patir of Assam (The Rural Futures Rewilding Grant 2021).

Related articles

PA Sangma fought for rights of NE people: Meghalaya CM Sangma retorts to Biren Singh

Shillong/Imphal, March 31: Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma, on Monday said that late P.A. Sangma, former Union...

India committed to sustainable energy through nuclear power: PM Modi

New Delhi, March 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated India’s commitment to sustainable energy through nuclear...

Himachal govt faces strong backlash over two proposed hydropower projects in Lahaul-Spiti

Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), March 31: In a move that has triggered strong backlash from local communities in Lahaul-Spiti,...

Pressure groups decide to revive CoMSO

Shillong, Mar 31: The seven pressure groups from different regions of Meghalaya on Monday decided to revive the...