Kohima: Irene Dkhar (20) of Meghalaya won Miss Northeast on Thursday and she won a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh. Eshanee Hatimuria from Assam won first runner up received Rs 1 lakh and Dyna Jomo from Arunachal Pradesh became second runners-up received a cash prize of Rs 70K.

This was the first edition of the pageant organized by the North East Beauty Pageant Organization (NEBPO) and sponsored by the Nagaland government. It was held at the Cultural Hall in Kohima on Thursday.

The Crown winner won the hearts of the judges in the final round, raising the issue of mental health. She said she aspires to be a psychologist. In the last round all the 14 finalists from the Northeastern states were asked what social issue they would take up given the opportunity to discuss it with world leaders.

Replying to the question, Dkhar said she would want to discuss the issue of the mental health of the youth.

It is high time to fight against mental illness and anxiety, she told the judges, winning their hearts. Eshanee was awarded Miss Talent, while Lika Chophy of Nagaland was crowned Queen of Hearts. Mannasha Devi Sapam of Manipur was awarded Miss Beautiful Skin. The final round had two winners from the state-level pageants from all the Northeastern states, except for Tripura, which was represented by only one contestant.