Kamala Pujari
Kamala Pujhari is a tribal woman from Koraput in Odisha. She is known for promoting organic farming. She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian the Padma Shri.[1]
Introduction
Kamala pujhari,a tribal lady of Patraput Village, Koraput District, Odisha has been preserving local paddies. Till now she has preserved hundreds of indigenous varieties of paddy. Conserving paddy and promoting organic farming is not a pass time. Kamala interested in Traditional farming, had learned the basic techniques from MS Swaminathan Research Foundation at Jeypore. After getting into this, she mobilized people, arranged group gatherings, and interacted with people to shun chemical fertilizers. She called many people to join with her and knocked door to door from village to village. Her efforts successful and farmers in Patraput village and neighboring villages gave up chemical fertilizers. Without having any basic education, Kamala will to preserve 100 types of paddy till the date. Ms Pujari has collected endangered and rare types of seeds such as paddy, turmeric, tili, black cumin, mahakanta, phula, and ghantia. She is also known for having persuaded villagers in her area to shun chemical fertilisers and adopt organic farming for better harvest and soil fertility.[2]
Achievement
In 2002, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar named after Kamala. She had won Equator of Initiative Award in 2002. The Odisha government had felicitated her as the best woman farmer in 2004. She has also been awarded by many national award "Krusi Bisarada Samman" in New Delhi.[3][4] She holds the unique distinction of being the first tribal woman to be included in the list of members of the Odisha State Planning Board. She was made a member of the five-member team in March 2018 that makes a five-year plan for the state apart from providing short and long-term policy guidelines.[5]
References
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Padma Awards, Government of India. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ https://thelogicalindian.com/get-inspired/kamala-pujari-padma-shri/>
- ^ https://odishasuntimes.com/odisha-agri-varsity-hostel-named-after-eminent-woman-farmer/>
- ^ https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/odisha/indigenous-idea-wins-naveen-praise/cid/1397838/>
- ^ https://thelogicalindian.com/get-inspired/kamala-pujari-padma-shri/>
External links
- Meet Kamala Pujari, a tribal agricultural activist and now a member of Odisha planning board; India Times
 | This Indian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |