KATHMANDU, MAY 29
The government honored several individuals with various awards and honors to recognize their contributions to mountaineering and to promote mountaineering tourism in Nepal. The awards were presented during a program organized on the occasion of the 71st International Everest Day in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' presented the awards and honors during the ceremony.
Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa received the International Sagarmatha Award, 2081, for his five decades of work in tourism and mountaineering and contributing to the development of the tourism sector, particularly through the airline sector/business for the last 25 years. Lhakpa Sonam has also successfully climbed the highest peaks on all seven continents.
After receiving the award, Lhakpa Sonam welcomed PM Dahal's announcement to set up a welfare fund for climbers and announced his donation of Rs 1 lakh from his award, plus an additional Rs 1 lakh to the Climbers' Welfare Fund, hoping to expedite its establishment.
Similarly, Pema Chhiring was awarded the Tenzing Hillary Award 2024. He received the award alongside General Sunil Singh Rathore, the Single Women Everest Expedition Team 2019, and AC Sherpa. Pema was recognized for climbing Mt. Everest 23 times, being involved in rope fixing 11 times, and climbing Manaslu 10 times. He has worked as a trekking and mountain guide for the past 23 years and is an International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA) certified mountain guide.
General Sunil Singh Rathore of Nepali Army was honored for his role as a representative of the Nepal Army in mountain climbing, including his first official ascent of Everest in 2003, carrying the torch for the Beijing Olympics to the summit in 2008, and his advisory role in the Everest Clean-up Campaign since 2019.
AC Sherpa, currently residing in the US, was awarded for his contributions to the mountaineering sector and mountain tourism through the establishment of the Seven Summits Foundation. He has scaled the highest peaks on all continents and serves as the Honorary Consul for Washington State, USA.
The government also established the Baburam Acharya Sagarmatha Award of Rs 75,000 in memory of historian laureate Baburam Acharya, who named Mount Everest as Sagarmatha in Nepali. This award will honor one Everest climber annually, with Khimlal Gautam being the recipient this financial year.
Koshi Province also announced that Chhiring Dhenduk Bhote, Narendra Shahi, Gyaljie Sherpa, Lhakpa Dendi Sherpa, and Ang Sarki Sherpa would each receive Rs 25,000 and certificates.
Various other personalities were also awarded and honored with certificates, badges, and ID cards for Everest summitters.
The awards were presented based on the recommendations of the award selection and recommendation committee formed under the coordination of Mr. Rudraprasad Pandit, Director General of the Department of Tourism, following the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.
