Usha Mangeshkar to Receive Inaugural Honour Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award

The Assam Cabinet has recommended a national-level award in honor of the late Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika for individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of music and culture. The first recipient of the award would be singer Usha Mangeshkar, owing to her contributions to Indian music and connection with Hazarika’s musical creations. The Assam Cabinet has also increased the amount of money that comes with the Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Award and finalized the list of Assam civilian awards for 2025.

Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award: Key Information

This national award seeks to honor the memory of the famous Assamese singer, composer, lyricist, and film-maker, Bhupen Hazarika, who merged music with social issues and humanitarianism. It is designed to honor those personalities in music, arts, or cinema who have earned national or international recognition.

The first-ever award will be conferred upon Usha Mangeshkar at the closing ceremony marking the birth centenary of Bhupen Hazarika, which will be held in New Delhi on November 29, 2026. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will confer the award in Bharat Mandapam.

Cash prize for Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Award Increased

Another important decision taken by the Assam cabinet is to increase the cash prize of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev award to ₹15 lakh from the present cash prize of ₹10 lakh.

This decision acknowledges the significance of this cultural award in the state.

Who was Srimanta Sankardev?

Srimanta Sankardev was an Assamese saint, scholar, poet, playwright, and social reformer belonging to 15th-16th centuries.

He was a significant contributor to the Neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam.

Assam Civilian Awards 2025: List of Winners

The cabinet decided on the awardees of the Assam Baibhav, Assam Saurav, and Assam Gaurav awards of the year 2025. The awards will recognize contribution in the fields of health care, wildlife conservation, arts, culture, sports, agriculture, entrepreneurship and social service.

1. Assam Baibhav Award

• Dr Harsha Bhattacharjee, who is an accomplished ophthalmologist connected with the Srimanta Sankaradeva Nethralaya, has been chosen for the Assam Baibhav, which is the state’s highest civilian award.
• It is an acknowledgment for his contributions towards the eye care and healthcare services.

2. Assam Saurav Award

Four individuals have been chosen for the Assam Saurav Award on the basis of their contributions in various spheres.

Name	FIELD of contribution
Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma	Wildlife knowledge, veterinary science and elephant conservation
Nuruddin Ahmed	Art, sculpting and cultural activities
Pulak Banerjee	Music
Dr Purnima Devi Barman	Wildlife conservation and greater adjutant stork or Hargila

3. Assam Gaurav Award

There have been ten individuals along with two organisations awarded with the Assam Gaurav Award, thus making the total number of awardees as twelve.

Awardee	Field/Contribution
Devi Prasad Bagrodia	Social work
Holicharan Narzary	Football
Simu Das	Cricket
Harakanta Basumatary	Palm oil plantation
Dhanjit Talukdar	Manuscript preservation
Nibedita Yein	Food & Tourism business
Mayank Chakrabarty	Chess
Jiten Phangcho	Ginger plantation
Tonumaya Sonar Viswakarma	Dairy farming
Dikpal Lahan	Tourism
Kolong Kopili	NGO
Padum Pothar	Agro Organic Producer Company Producer company