IMPHAL, October 31: All Loktak Lake Area Fishers Union Manipur leader O Rajen Singh was among four activists to receive the Maja Koene Award 2015 in the field of Social Activism during an event at the Shanti Shadhna Ashram, Guwahati on October 28.
The award comprises of a shawl, a citation and a cash prize of rupees ten thousand.
O Rajen is an active leader of All Loktak Lake Area Fishers Union Manipur (ALLAFUM) and has been campaigning for the rights of the fishing community in and around the Loktak Lake.
The Maja Koene Awards honour outstanding activities of social activists and journalists who have contributed significantly in the field of awareness building to address injustice and poverty.
The award is jointly instituted by the Centre for Experiencing Socio-Cultural Interaction (CESCI) Switzerland and CESCI India and Ekta Parishad India in memory of (L) Ms Maja Koene and was initiated since 2000 following her death in Zurich the previous year.
Speaking to media persons at a press meet today at the Manipur Press Club, Rajen expressed gratitude to the Maja Koene Award committee for recognizing his efforts and more importantly the injustice enforced upon the fishing community of Loktak Lake.
He said, our struggle against the State to re- acknowledged our fishing rights and restore our livelihood will continue. Such awards encourage our morale with solidarities pouring in from groups supporting campaign for poor peoples`™ justice, he said.