Indian Council of Agricultural Research

July 16, 2007 New Delhi

Shri Sharad Pawar, Union Minister for Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution presented ICAR Awards 2006 to various agricultural scientists, institutes and farmers here today. A total of 54 awards under 12 different categories were given to honour six institutions, 41 scientists and their associates, six farmers and one journalist. Out of 41 scientists and their associates, there are 16 women scientists. Nearly 33% of ICAR awards have gone to women agricultural scientists and journalist this year. Sh Kanti Lal Bhuria, Minister of State for Agriculture and Dr. Mangala Rai, DG, ICAR were also present at the function along with senior officials, scientists and farmers.

The Best Institution Award has gone to the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Cochin. The work of CIFT has been internationally recognized. Among relatively smatter institution, the Water Technology Centre for Eastern Region, Bhubaneswar has bagged the Best Institution Award for its technologies for water conservation.

Chaudhary Devi Lal Outstanding AICRP Award has been bagged by All India Coordinated Cotton Improvement Project with its Headquarters at Coimbatore. India has made rapid strides in developing new varieties of cotton and thus acquired a major place among cotton producing countries of the world. The AICRP deserves a large share in this achievement.

Panjabrao Deshmukh Woman Agricultural Scientist Awards were given to Dr. Kausalya Ramachandran, CRIDA, Hyderabad and Dr. Alka Goel, GB Pant University, Pantnagar for her contributions in agricultural research and development. The Award for the year 2006 is awarded to Dr Kausalya Ramchandran for her significant contribution in the Natural Resource Management and Dr Alka Goel for her significant contribution in the Home Science.

The National Krishi Vigyan Kendra Aawrd for the year 2005-06 is awarded to the KVK, Shikohpur, Gurgaon; Perunthalaivar Kamraj Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Puducherry and KVK, Raichur for its significant contribution in the field of extension education. KVK, Shikohpur, Gurgaon (Haryana) of Indian Agricultural Research Institute educates its clientele through different activities on various aspects towards the development of agriculture and allied sectors in Gurgoan district of Haryana state. Perunthalaivar Kamraj KVK, Puducherry was awarded for its significant contribution in the field of extension education. The growth of this KVK has been steady and relatively faster because, besides the support of the ICAR, it has financial as well as administrative linkages and support of the Govt. The KVK, Raichur has conducted a serried of training programmed both on and off campus for extenstion personnel, rural youth, practisin farmers and farm women.

The Jagjivan Ram Kisan Puruskar in crop production has been awarded jointly to Sh. Ram Saran Verma a farmer from U.P. and Sh. Sursing Madhavrao Pawar from Maharashtra. The prize for Allied Agricultural activities has also been awarded jointly to Sh. Sharad Baburao Patil from Maharashtra and a woman farmer, Smt. Maltiben Joitaram Chaudhary from Gujarat. The N.G. Ranga Award for Diversified Agriculture has been jointly awarded to a farmer each from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Dr. Banwari Mishra, Nagendra Kumar Singh, Dr. Suman Kumar Pandey, Dr. Vishwa Nath Sharda, Prof. Adity Kumar Mishra, Dr. Thakur Bahadur Singh, Dr. Devki Nandan Kamkra and Dr. Indrani Karunasagar were awarded Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Award of Rs 3 lakh each, a citation and a plaque.

The Hari Om Trust Award has gone to eight scientists, Dr. Hari C. Sharma, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Dr. Vishaw Bandhu Patel, Er. Krishina Pratap Singh, Dr. Samaresh Kundu, Dr. Hari Shankar Gupta, Dr. Niranjan Mishra, and Dr. H.K. Pradhan in the areas of crop science, horticulture, natural resource management and animal sciences.

Vasantarao Naik Award for Research and Application In Dryland Farming Systems has been awarded to Late Dr. Asha Ram Pal and associates. Late Dr. A. R. Pal was working at IGKV, Raipur. His associates, Dr. G.P. Pali, Dr. R.C. Srivastava, Dr. O.P. Dubey and Er. D.K. Rusia are working at IGKV, Raipur, WTCER, Bhubaneswar, JNKVV, Jabalpur and BAU, Ranchi respectively. They have developed a system which can be adopted on a watershed basis to create irrigation potential more that 30% to bring the whole are under irrigated category. The system is eco-friendly, decentralized, can be constructed by local skills and managed by users themselves and therefore sustainable. The technology developed has been adopted by various government and non-government agencies.

Swami Sahajanand Extension Scientist/Worker Award has gone to two scientists for crop production and one each for livestock production, resource management and home science.

Choudhary Charan Singh Award for Excellence in Agricultural Research and Development, 2006 is conferred upon Smt. Snehlata Shrivastava for her distinguished services in Agricultural Journalism. Through her reporting on agricultural research institutes she has been able to reach out to farmers, forming a link between them and the research institutes. Nagpur based Science Principal Correspondent working in Hitavada, Mrs. Snehlata Shrivastav is first woman journalist who was awarded Chaudhary Charan Singh Award