State governor Lt. General M M Lakhera handed over the award, carrying a citation and a cash award of Rs one lakh, to Sailo at a function here. Judges for the award said Sailo was chosen for his integrity, contribution to human rights, and his vision for a better Mizoram.
Earlier awarded Padma Shri in 1999, Sailo was born on January one, 1922 and joined the Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1942 and was the first Mizo to become a Brigadier in the Indian Army, according to a statement from the organisers.
In 1974, he retired from the army and formed the Human Rights Committee to fight alleged human rights violation by army men in tackling insurgency.
Sailo converted the organisation into a political party the next year and rechristened it as People's Conference (PC) which was voted to power in 1978 defeating the Congress and he became the chief minister on June two, 1978.
His government was dissolved and President's Rule was imposed on November 10, 1978 due to a constitutional crisis.
He, however, returned to power in 1979 and remained chief minister till he was defeated by Congress led by Lal Thanhawla in 1984.
A man of integrity, Sailo was given the credit of initiating numerous developmental projects during his regime including hydel projects, rail communication, capital expansion plans and programme for self-sufficiency in food production.
He, however, became a virtual pariah in state politics after being at loggerheads with the erstwhile underground Mizo National Front (MNF) and for taking military stand against the militants.
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