Manipur engineer wins ABU broadcast engineering excellence award 2026

Nongmaithem Nandakumar Singh, Director of Engineering at Akashvani Imphal, Prasar Bharati, has won the prestigious Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award 2026 conferred by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

The award was formally presented at the ABU Prize Ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 1. A special video presentation showcasing the engineering projects developed and implemented under his leadership was screened at the ABU Technical Committee meeting on October 30.

Singh, son of late Nongmaithem Ibotombi Singh and Nongmaithem Ongbi Binodkumari Devi of Sagolband Salam Leikai in Imphal West, graduated in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from NIT Raipur. He was selected for the Indian Engineering Services (IES) in 1998 and currently serves as Director of Engineering at Akashvani Imphal.

The award recognises his contributions to broadcast engineering, including low-cost broadcast automation, remote transmitter monitoring and efficient live-streaming workflows. His innovations also include slow-motion replay software with a hardware controller, Virtual News Automation software and an automated video playout system.

Beyond broadcasting, Singh has developed Android applications based on traditional Manipuri board games, helping bring the state's indigenous games and cultural heritage to digital platforms.

The ABU award recognises engineering excellence, grassroots technical innovation and resource-efficient solutions for public service broadcasting, particularly under challenging conditions. Singh's work has received appreciation from broadcasting organisations across the Asia-Pacific region.

He has previously received the Padmavati Ganeshan Award from the Broadcast Engineering Society (India) in 2013 and the Dr Vassumal Hazarimal Merani Award in 2026 for innovative technical work in digital broadcasting technology.

His latest achievement marks an international recognition of engineering innovation emerging from Manipur's public broadcasting sector.