Darjeeling, June 11 -- The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has announced that senior politician and social worker Renulina Subba of Kalimpong will be conferred with the first "Late Subash Ghisingh Memorial Highest Civilian Honour" this year.

GTA Deputy Chairman, Rajesh Chauhan, made the announcement during a Press conference held at Lalkothi on Wednesday. "Renulina Subba will be awarded this year's

Subash Ghisingh Memorial Honour on June 22. This award will be presented annually to individuals who have significantly contributed to the pride and prestige of the Darjeeling hills." The award will include a citation along with a cash amount. Last year, during the Bhanu Jayanti celebrations, GTA chief Anit Thapa had declared that this honour would be instituted in memory of the late Subash Ghisingh and awarded each year on his birth anniversary - June 22.

The decision has been widely welcomed. Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) General Secretary and MLA Neeraj Zimba praised the announcement, calling it a "historic move that rises above politics".

Subash Ghisingh, the founder of the GNLF and leader of the Gorkha movement, was born on June 22, 1936, at Manju Tea Estate in Mirik and passed away on January 28, 2015, in Delhi. He led the Gorkhaland agitation in the 1980s. He also served as chairman and administrator of the erstwhile Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

"Political leaders, associates of Late Subash Ghising along with his son Mann Ghising will also be present at the ceremony," stated Chauhan.

Renulina Subba, the first Gorkha woman MLA from Kalimpong, was elected twice - first in 1977 as a candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League and again in 1982 as an Independent. She played a pivotal role in the region's development - establishing schools, colleges and health centres - and was a leading voice in the Nepali language movement, women's empowerment and the Cinchona plantation workers' struggle. Her relentless work won her the title "Iron Lady of Cinchona".

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.