Ziro: Two Arunachalee entrepreneurs from the Lower Subansiri district were conferred the Indo-Balinese Achievers Award in Bali, Indonesia recently.
Renowned social worker and progressive farmer Bamin Siri, the chairman of Ziro Poultry Cooperative Farmers’ Society Ltd (ZPCFS) and Michi Amung, the chairman of the Ridge Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd (RMCS) were honoured for their meritorious achievements in the field of economic growth by the Association for Economic Growth of India (AEG).
The duo had been nominated for the global award by AEG from amongst many candidates in the field of economic activity from India.
The awards were presented by Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, V B Soni along with Vice Consul, Consulate General of India office Lawlesh Kumar and PRO Kuta, Indonesia, Wayan Sukrata.
Describing his contributions to economic activity and employment generations through ZPCFS in 1999 and the subsequent awards to ZPCFS for its pioneering and path-breaking socio-economic activities, Siri said he had been actively involved in social work and entrepreneurship since 1999.
While he was the secretary of ZPCFS, the state government gave him the Best Livestock Cooperative Society award in 2007 and during the International Year 2012, President Pranab Mukherjee had conferred the biennial award for Cooperative Excellence to ZPCFS.
During the World Veterinary Day celebration on April 28, 2012, the society was given the Best Livestock Cooperative Society award for poultry husbandry. During the 2016 Statehood Day celebrations, the ZPCFS was conferred with the Dorjee Khandu Memorial Award for Best Cooperative Society in the state.
Again, on April 23, 2022, the ZPCFS had received the Rashtriya Udyog Ratan Award from the Union Minister of Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education K Sudhakaran in Bengaluru.
Siri said he had always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
“I wanted to be a social engineer and bring innovations which would generate employment, uplift the economic status of our people and bring smiles to their families,” he said.
“Many research scholars from across the country come to see and learn the mode of functioning of ZPCFS,” he added.
Siri was the vice-chairman of the Arunachal Pradesh Consumer Cooperative Federation Ltd. from 2018 to 2022 and is currently on its board of directors.
Amung, who received the award in the category of Cooperative Societies, founded the RMCS in 2018. The society imparts training in the livestock, agriculture-horticulture and handloom sectors in collaboration with experts. It also helps and guides the unemployed youth to avail various central and state government-sponsored schemes available under National Livelihood Mission and Atma Nirbhar schemes.
The society is run by a board of seven directors with 30 primary members and five self-help groups. More than 100 households in Ziro Valley have benefitted through RMCS.
RMCS was conferred with the Best Livestock Cooperative Society award on Independence Day in 2020 and the Best Multipurpose Cooperative Society on Republic Day 2022 in Itanagar. DIPRO
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