Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condoled the death of Kamala Pujari, a tribal woman from Odisha known for her contribution to organic farming and preserving hundreds of indigenous varieties of paddy. She was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2019 by the then-President Ramnath Kovind.
PM Modi who called her a beacon in empowering the tribal communities, condoled the death and said, "Pained by the passing away of Smt. Kamala Pujari Ji. She made a monumental contribution to agriculture, particularly boosting organic agricultural practices and protecting indigenous seeds."
He added, "Her work in enriching sustainability and protecting biodiversity will be remembered for years. She was also a beacon in empowering the tribal communities. Condolences to her family and admirers. Om Shanti."
Pujari was admitted to the district headquarters hospital on Tuesday for fever and age-related ailments and later moved to the SCB medical college in Cuttack after her condition deteriorated. Hospital sources said she died of cardiac arrest early this morning.
A look at her illustrious achievements
- Kamala Pujari, was a native of Patraput village in Koraput district
- She had been a leader in the participatory research programme started by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Koraput in 1994, which led to breeding of the high yielding and high-quality rice variety, ‘Kalajeera’.
- She was a member of the state planning board in 2018 and was conferred with the best farmer award by the Odisha government in 2004.
- Due to her efforts, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared Koraput a globally important agriculture heritage site (GIAHS) in 2012.
- She has also preserved rare varieties of paddy like ‘Tili’, ‘Machakanta’, ‘Phula’, and ‘Ghnatia’.
- She also won the 'Equator Initiative Award' in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.
- She was also honoured with Best Woman Farmers award in 2004 while a girls’ hostel of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Odisha’s premier agriculture research institution in Bhubaneswar , was named after her.
