By Zaidul Haque, Twocircle.net,
Kolkata: Md. Mannan Biswas of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal has been selected for the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2010, which shall be conferred on him by President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December in New Delhi.
Mannan is the only person selected from West Bengal under the category of ‘Best Employees/Self-employed with Disabilities Blindness’. Mannan’s research work in mushroom cultivation and training of village youth for the profession has brought him the honour.
Md. Mannan Biswas
In 1997 he heard a radio advertisement about Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission which had launched an academy to teach the blind persons in one and half years. He trained from the academy in Mushroom cultivation. After the training, 10 years ago, he started Mushroom cultivation in his home with the help of his child Mohinur who is reading in ‘Rajibpur Anglo Vernacular High School’. Day by day he increased his production and marketed in the cities like Howrah, Barasat and Saltlake.
Then he started training local youth who were interested in Mushroom cultivation. Lots of young boys have so far been trained by him and they have self-employed by growing Mushroom in their home. For Mannan’s extraordinary work, his village Malickberia is now called ‘Mushroom Village’.
Blind by birth Mannan is living in a remote village named Malickbaria under Ashok Nagar Police Station of District North 24 Parganas, about 70 kms from Kolkata.
Md Mannan Biswas is glad and now preparing to go to Delhi to accept the award from the President of India on 3rd December, 2010.