8-Year-Old Manipuri Climate Activist Turns Down "Honour" Conferred by PM on Women's Day

climate activist

Imphal, March 7, 2020:

Licypriya Kangujam, the 8-year-old Manipuri climate activist who has been seen hobnobbing with personalities of international stature such as Greta Thunberg, has now turned down an honour conferred by the PM of India, Narendra Modi, as her "voice" is not being heard.

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The fiery climate activist, who has been an integral part of the movement demanding a Climate Law in India, recently turned down the "honour" of being selected as one of the figures of the PM's #SheInspiresUs that is being held on Women's Day (Mar 8) to highlight the achievements of Indian women.

A tweet sent out from the official Twitter handle, MyGovIndia, read thus: "Licypriya Kangujam is an child environmental activist from Manipur. In 2019, she was awarded a Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Children Award, a World Children Peace Prize and an India Peace Prize. Isn't she inspiring?"

Licypriya, who was tagged in the post, responded immediately with the following words: "Please don’t celebrate me if you are not going to listen my voice. Thank you for selecting me amongst the inspiring women of the country under your initiative

data-focusable="true">#SheInspiresUs. After thinking many times, I decided to turns down this honour."

Meanwhile, some netizens have supported her decision to turn down the honour, while others said that it is a lost opportunity to reach out to more people. "You young lady is the epitome of speaking truth to power. Salute you", wrote one user, praising her for her defiance.

Another Twitter user, who is of the opinion that she should have grabbed the opportunity with both hands, wrote, "By turning down this honour u r actually hurting your purpose. Many people who are unknown about u will get to know about ur work through this honour. I think u should think again about it. The change you want to see will not be obtained in a single day."

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Edited By: Admin

Published On: Mar 07, 2020