Padma awardees- Scientists, Grasroot innovators, Farmers

 SCIENTISTS

Dr Ravi Prakash Singh, alumnus of GPB, (Genetics and Plant Breeding), Institute of Agricultural Sciences BHU has been awarded with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his outstanding contributions to Science & Engineering. As an eminent *Wheat Scientist*, Ravi Prakash Singh has pioneered high-yield wheat varieties, positively impacting millions across the globe.

Dr. Narayan Chakraborty, the 2024 Padma Shri awardee, is a name synonymous with groundbreaking research in arsenic toxicity.As a Visiting Professor in the Post-Graduate Department of Zoology at Maulana Azad College, Kolkata, and a Scientific Consultant and Director at the West Bengal Biotech Development Corporation, Dr. Chakraborty’s expertise has been instrumental in shaping policies and interventions to address arsenic contamination.

Dr. Ram Chet Chaudhary, awarded the Padma Shri, is celebrated for his pioneering work in agriculture, particularly in developing Kalanamak rice varieties. Kalanamak rice, an aromatic and nutritious variety native to Uttar Pradesh, owes its resurgence to Dr. Chaudhary’s efforts. From cataloging and conserving various strains to developing high-yielding varieties through hybridization, his work has been pivotal in saving Kalanamak rice from extinction.

Dr. Shailesh Nayak, the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shree, is a luminary in the field of oceanography. He pioneered India's first automated Tsunami Warning System, significantly bolstering the nation's disaster response capabilities.As the Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), he conceptualized, installed, and operationalized this crucial system, enhancing India’s capabilities in disaster management and response.

Dr. Eklabya Sharma, awarded the Padma Shri, is an esteemed ecologist with over four decades of experience in sustainable mountain development, particularly in the Himalayan region.

Prof Ram Chander Sihag, who has been selected for the Padma Shri award, has made remarkable contributions in the field of beekeeping in the country. Prof Sihag, a retired agriculture scientist, began his career with Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, in 1979.

Dr Hari Om (65), who has been working in the field of natural farming, will be conferred with the Padma Shri award in the science and engineering category. Dr Hari Om, along with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, had taken up natural farming at Gurukul in Kurukshetra.

GRASS ROOT INNOVATORS

Shri C V Raju and Shri Moa Subong, grassroots innovators from Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland, respectively, are amongst the 106 Padma Shri awardees announced for the year 2023. While the awards recognized Shri C V Raju’s efforts of reviving the traditional art of making Etikoppaka toys by adoption of eco-friendly technologies, Shri Moa Subong will be awarded for S&T based innovative ways of creating Naga folk music.

FARMERS

Read more: https://eng.ruralvoice.in/national/farmers-honoured-with-padma-awards-for-promoting-agriculture-despite-all-odds.html?

Indian farmers adoption of farming practices to mitigate climate change

 Climate change is adversely affecting the Indian agricultural sector. Farmers’ perceptions of and adaptation to the rapidly changing climatic conditions are considered crucial policy measures to combat these adversities. In this context, the present study systematically reviews the literature on farmers’ perception and adaptation in India, drawing mainly from Scopus and Web of Science. Results show that majority of the Indian farmers have perceived a rise in temperature, erratic and decreased rainfall which is consistent with the meteorological data. Indian farmers seem to have adopted a wide range of adaptation measures that are mostly incremental and systemic. Transformational adaptations in the form of substantial changes in land use, resource and labor allocations, occupational pattern, and cropping systems are also increasingly found to be adopted by farmers. However, the literature does not substantially confirm that farmers’ adaptation measures result from their perception of climate change. Lack of access to sufficient information and adequate credit at the right time, household income, farm size, gender, and resource endowment, among others, frequently influences the adoption of adaptation measures. To avoid maladaptive outcomes and achieve long-term sustainability, the study suggests a need for large-scale investments in the Indian farming sector in general and building farmers’ capacity in particular. In addition, adopting an integrated approach for assessing farmers’ perception of and adaptation to changing climatic conditions and their outcomes is essential for effective policymaking towards achieving food security and farmers’ wellbeing.

Download paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010022001007