Shillong, Nov 8: President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Monday morning presented the Padma Shri Award to Meghalaya’s Trinity Saioo for Agriculture for the year 2020 and Nanadro B Marak for Agriculture for the year 2021 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President presented a total of 69 Padma Awards for the year 2020 – 73 Padma Vibhushan, 8 Padma Bhushan and 61 Padma Shri Awards; and 141 Padma Awards including 4 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) for the year 2021 – 7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards. 33 of the awardees were women and the list also includes 18 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 12 Posthumous awardees.

Trinity Saioo is a school teacher by profession. She was awarded the Padma Shri in recognition for spearheading the women-led turmeric farming movement in Meghalaya, enabling the women farmers to triple their incomes. She motivated farmers to grow Lakadong variety of Turmeric in West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya.

In total, 15 individuals from the Northeast were conferred with the Padma Awards.

Here is a list of Padma Shri awardees from Northeast that were presented with the honour.

MEGHALAYA

1. Nanadro B Marak (Others – Agriculture) – Meghalaya. He is an organic black pepper farmer from Meghalaya’s West Garo hills district.2. Trinity Saioo ( Agriculture) of Jaintia Hills was conferred the Padma Shri. A school teacher by profession, she motivated farmers to grow Lakadong variety of Turmeric.ASSAM

1. Lakhimi Baruah (Social Work) – Assam, founder of Konoklata Mahila Urban Cooperative Bank (KMUCB) which made a difference in the lives of thousands of economically and educationally backward women by providing them with credits and thus making them financially independent.2. Gopiram Bargayn Burabhakat (Art) – Assam, an Assamese singer who has made an immense contribution in the field of traditional music of the region.3. Bijoya Chakravarty (Public Affairs) – Assam, she represented Guwahati in the 13th Lok Sabha and won the seat for the BJP for the first time in 1999.4. Mangal Singh Hazowary (Literature and Education) – Assam. He is a Sahitya Akademy recipient and has been working for the cause of Bodo literature and language.5. Dulal Manki (Art) – Assam. He is a Jhumur singer from the state of Assam and conferred the Padma Shri award for his service to the arts.6. Birubala Rabha (Social Work) – Assam. She is an activist who runs an organisation called Mission Birubala which spreads awareness against witch-hunting.7. Roman Sarmah (Literature and Education – Journalism) – Assam. He is a litterateur, writer, columnist, and also practicing advocate of Gauhati High Court.8. Imran Shah (Literature and Education) – Assam, Nawab Imran Shah is an Indian Assamese language writer, poet, novelist, and scholar. His first book of poems was published when he was in the ninth standard.MIZORAM 

1. Sangkhumi Bualchhuak (Social Work) – Mizoram, a key initiator of many reforms in the Mizo society that have led to life-changing policies for the upliftment of women in particular, and the society in general.MANIPUR

1. Radhe Devi (Art) – Manipur, a Potloi Setpi or a traditional bridal wear designer. She has dressed over 1,000 brides in her lifetime.2. Rewben Mashangva (Art) – Manipur, Known for reviving the musical tradition of the Tangkhul Naga of Manipur, Rewben Mashangva also received the National Tribal Award 2011-12, for his contribution to the development of tribal music from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.ARUNACHAL PRADESH

1. Anshu Jamsenpa (Sports) – Arunachal Pradesh. She is an Indian mountaineer and the first woman in the world to scale the summit of Mount Everest twice in a season, and the fastest double submitter to do so within 5 days which is the fastest double ascents of the tallest crest by a woman.TRIPURA

1. Satyaram Reang (Art) – Tripura, He is considered to be one of the most accomplished performers of the Hojagiri dance and of Kokborok songs.

It is to be highlighted that the awardees of this year 2021 and the last year2020 were conferred on November 8 as the ceremony was not held last year due to the pandemic.

Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.