After TSE's breaking story of 'Recovered COVID-19 girl takes auto back home'...
CM fetes lady auto driver with cash incentives
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR/OSR

Imphal, June 11 2020: Chief Minister N Biren Singh handed over a cash incentive of Rs 1,10,000 to Laibi Oinam, a street vendor cum auto driver who volunteered to drop a recovered COVID-19 patient from JNIMS, Imphal East to Kamjong district covering 8 hours of journey on the intervening night of May 31 and June 1 .

The Sangai Express was the newspaper to break the story on how the recovered girl had to make her way back all the way to Kamjong district in an auto-rickshaw after the ambulance from JNIMS took her only up to Dewlahland and refused to move further on the ground that the vehicle was not authorised to cross district on May 31 .

The story was published on June 2 under the heading, 'Recovered COVID-19 girl takes auto back home' .

It was at that moment that a family friend RK Setusana stepped in and contacted Laibi Oinam who volunteered to take the young girl back to her home district.

No other taxi was ready to take the young girl back home on that day.

On June 4, The Sangai Express had also profiled Laibi Oinam under the heading, 'Undeterred, lady auto driver breaks age and gender barrier' .

The cash reward was sponsored by some entrepreneurs from Manipur along with Manipuri diasporas from US, UK, Canada and Singapore as an encouragement to her for her humane and heroic service.

Mention may be made that Laibi Oinam, a resident of Pangei Bazaar, Imphal East, is a mother of two sons and is the sole breadwinner of the family.

A documentary film based on her life titled 'Auto Driver' won many accolades including best social issue film in the non-feature category at the 63rd National Film Awards in 2015 and Best Short Documentary in the Audience Choice category at the 2017 Women's Voices Now Film Festival.

Apart from this, a number of articles have been published about her in many National and local newspapers and journals for breaking the gender stereotype and glass ceiling.

LDA Chairman L Susindro, Chairman of Manipur Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board H Dingo, MLA of Yaiskul A/C Th Satyabrata, filmmaker Meena Longjam who directed the documentary film 'Auto Driver' and sponsors of the cash incentive were present during the programme.

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