Manipur: Woman Auto-Driver Awarded for Ferrying COVID-19 Patient

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh awarded a womanauto driver for ferrying a person who had recovered from Covid-19 in a hospitalto Kamjong district, over 100 km away.

The ambulance service of the state-run JawaharlalNehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, where the woman patient wasbeing treated, had refused to take her home as she hailed from anotherdistrict, a release by the department of information and public relations said.

Laibi Oinam volunteered to drop the recovered patient, who had returned from Kolkata and drove for eight long hours during the intervening night of May 31 and June 1 to reach the destination in a village in the far-flung hill district.

The chief minister handed over a cash award of Rs 1,10,000 to Oinam, the release said.

The award was sponsored by some entrepreneurs of thestate and by Manipuri expatriates as an appreciation of Oinam's humane act andservice.

Oinam, who is a mother of two sons, is the solebreadwinner of her family.

A documentary film based on her life entitled 'Auto Driver' had won many accolades including the 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.