ITANAGAR, 16 Mar: Former director of agriculture department, Tago Basar, passed away on Monday at around 4:30 am after a prolonged illness.
He was born on 15 November, 1952 in Nyigam village in the present Leparada district. His early schooling was at the government middle school in Basar. He was selected by the erstwhile NEFA government for higher studies at Ramakrishna Mission Narendrapur, West Bengal. He completed his agriculture honours from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya, West Bengal, becoming the first agriculture graduate from Arunachal Pradesh.
After graduation, he joined the agriculture department as a technical assistant on 29 September, 1977. He was promoted as assistant project officer (DRDA) in 1983, as district agriculture officer (estt) in 1986, as deputy director of agriculture in 1992, as joint director of agriculture in 1995, and became the first indigenous director of the agriculture department in January 2004.
During his tenure, the present Krishi Bhavan in Naharlagun was established.
He retired on superannuation in November 2010. After retirement, he served as a member of the lok adalat in July 2013 and became the chairman of the Child Welfare Committee, West Siang district, in 2013. He was also the president of the Central Kargu Gamgi-Basar from 2011-2015.
He authored two books, Letters from Late Todak Basar and Memoir, reflecting his dedication, honesty, and sincerity.
He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
