President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Asom Ratna Award for 2012 on writer late Mamoni Raisom Goswami and Sharmila Tagare for thier contribution towards the society, especially for the upliftment of women during the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Pandu College in Guwahati.
President said: " I am very happy for being invited here to confer the Asom Ratna Award and Srimanta Sankaradeva Award to the eminent ladies, Sharmila Tagore and Mamoni Raisom Goswami for their contribution in their respective fields. Both are social leaders who have contributed to the development and empowerment of women."
Highlighting the importance of education he said, "Education is the fundamental role to bring development in the society and the nation. Empowerment can be attained through knowledge. For higher economic growth we need higher education and standard education."
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This is Pranab Mukherjee's first visit to Assam after becoming the President of India.