January 31, 2015 : Professor Sudhir Kumar Sopory, the Honourable Vice Chancelllor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, today handed over the “ERDF Excellence Award – 2014” in a colourful function held at University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya. Every year ERD Foundation confers Excellence awards to eminent personalities from all walks of life in recognition to their outstanding contribution in various fields which immensely benefited the society at large.
 

Keeping alive its decade long tradition, this year ERDF Excellence Award was conferred to eminent personalities of the state who have achieved excellence in various fields and contributed immensely to the society. They are - Shri D. N. Bezboruah, noted journalist & former Editor of the Sentinel
 

Prof Ashok Kumar Goswami, Language expert & Retired Prof. of Sanskrit, GU
Dr. Lakshahira Das, renowned Singer, Lyricist & Writer
Prof M. H. Hazarika, former Head of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Assam Agriculture University
Prof Anil Kumar Goswami, former Principal Cotton College
Dr. Nirupama Mahanta, Social worker
Shri G L Agarwalla, Chairman & MD, G L Publications
Smt. Tayabun Nisha, renowned Sportsperson
Er. Isfaqur Rahman Borborah, Social Worker, Gandhian & former Engineer of OIL
Dr. U. K. Sharma, former Director, NERIST

Shri Radhika Mohan Bhagawati, eminent journalist and Editor of Dainik Asom; Col Monoranjan Goswami, Renowned Columnist; Dr DN Buragohain, Founder Director of IIT, Guwahati & Chancellor of Nagaland University; Dr. Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia, Chairperson, Assam Human Rights Commission were also in the list of Awardees but could not attend the function due to ill health and preoccupations. Their awards would be handed over later, it was announced.
 

The awards were conferred to the senior citizens as a mark of respect and love from ERDF for their distinguished services to the community and also to wish them good health and long life so that they can continue their service to the society. All the recipients in their acceptance speech said that they were overwhelmed by the kind gesture bestowed by ERD Foundation. They also highly appreciated the infrastructure of the picturesque campus and assured their full cooperation to ERDF group of Institutions and mission of ERDF in future.

Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries and guests to the function, Mahbubul Hoque, Chairman ERDF and Chancellor USTM said, “The tendency in our society is that senior citizens who toiled all their life to make life better for others are often forgotten after the prime of their life. To reverse this trend, we have started giving the Excellence Awards to outstanding senior citizens of Assam for nearly a decade now. Very soon we are going to extend this programme in Meghalaya also.”
 

Prof SK Sopory, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi, who was the chief guest on the occasion and gave away the awards, lauded the initiative of ERDF and said, “We have many lessons to learn from this award ceremony. On one hand, it is an inspiration for the upcoming generation, and on the other it is a declaration of our gratefulness to the senior citizens who gave their best time and energy so that we can live with peace and honour today.”

About ERDF, he said, “Education is the best gift that we can give to people, and ERDF is just doing that and doing it with sincerity and excellence. I will certainly look forward to opportunities in which JNU and ERDF could work together for common good of our people.”
 

The meeting was presided over by Shri H. N. Das, Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Assam. Shri P. J. Barua, Executive Editor of The Assam Tribune also addressed the gathering.
 

The function was attended by a large number of dignitaries from various walks of life and the high officials of ERDF & USTM including Dr. R. K. Sharma, Pro VC, Dr. Alaka Desai Sarma, Dean, Students’ welfare of USTM and Dr. P. C. Mahanta, Director of Regional Institute of Science & Technology.

In a post lunch programme, Prof SK Sopory, who is a renowned Biotechnologist of the country, also participated in an interactive session on the topic “Emerging trends of Higher Education and Research in the field of Biological Sciences” with the faculty, research scholars and students of USTM and Cotton College, Guwahati.



PRO ERDF