Binalakshmi Nepram from Manipur Awarded FICCI Women Achiever of the Year Award 2013-14

Dr Mridul Hazarika felicitating award to Ms Binalakshm Nepram

Woman Activist and Writer from Manipur Ms Binalakshmi Nepram has been awarded the 30th FICCI Women Achiever of the Year Award 2013-14 for outstanding contributions in the field of Social Activism by the FICCI Ladies' Organization, Northeast Chapter. Ms Nepram was awarded this honour at 6th Annual Event of the FICCI Ladies' Organization, Northeast Chapter held on 26 April 2014 in Guwahati, Assam.

Dr Mridul Hazarika, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor of The Guwahati University who was the Chief Guest of the event and Guest of Honour Ms Malvika Rai, Past President of FICCI Ladies Organisation jointly gave the awards to the Women Achievers.

Other women achiever awardees from Northeast India included Ms Bertha G Dkhar from Meghalaya for her outstanding contributions in the field of Social Work and Education in the Disability Sectors for the translation of Braille in Khasi Language; Ms Sudakshina Sarma from Assam for her contribution in Music, Ms Nellie Ahmed Tanweer from Assam for her contribution in Education and Entrepreneurship, Journalist and noted poet Ms Monalisa Changkija from Nagaland for her contributions in the field of Journalism.

About Ms Binalakshmi Nepram: Ms Binalakshmi Nepram, born to parents, Nepram Bihari and Y. Ibemhal of Sagolband Nepra Menjor Leikai in the state of Manipur located in India's Northeast region. She is a poet, writer and civil rights activist spearheading work on making women-led disarmament a movement and an issue that is meaningful to people's lives. She is author of four books namely a book of poetry called "Poetic Festoon"; "South Asia's Fractured Frontier", "Meckley", a historical fiction based on Manipur and an edited book titled "India and the Arms Trade Treaty".

Women Achiever Awardees

In 2004, Ms Nepram co-founded India's first civil society organization which is working on conventional disarmament issues, namely the Control Arms Foundation of India. And in 2007, in order to help thousands of women who are affected by gun violence in her home-state Manipur, Ms Nepram launched the Manipuri Women Gun Survivor Network. She has represented Indian civil society in various women and disarmament meetings held at United Nations in New York.

Ms Nepram is recipient of Dalai Lama Foundation's WISCOMP Scholar of Peace Award,2008,Sean MacBride Peace Prize,2010; CNN IBN Real Heroes Award,2011 and her team Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network won "Indian of the Year "Award in Special Achievement category same year. In 2013, London based organization Action on Armed Violence named Ms Nepram as "100 most influential people in world working on armed violence reduction".

For more details, please contact:

Office of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN)
Langthabal, Mantrikhong, Thong Ahanbi,
Behind Manipur University Campus,.
Imphal West-795003, Manipur, India
Website: www.womensurvivorsnetwork.org,
Email: [email protected]