Padma Shri awardee Kamala Pujari passes away

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Bhubaneswar, (Repoterspen), July 20: Kamala Pujari, renowned for her contributions to organic farming and the preservation of over 100 varieties of indigenous seeds, including paddy, passed away at SCB Medical College and Hospital (MCH) in Cuttack, Odisha, on Saturday morning. She was 74 years old and succumbed to a cardiac arrest after being hospitalized for treatment in recent days.

Pujari was initially admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Jeypore, Koraput, on July 16, before being transferred to SCB Medical College on July 18 for advanced care.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other dignitaries have expressed their condolences, praising Pujari’s exceptional work in preserving indigenous seed varieties and promoting organic farming. In honor of her contributions, her last rites will be conducted with full state honors as directed by the Chief Minister. Majhi also personally extended his condolences to Pujari’s son, Tankathar Pujari.

A tribal woman from Patraput Village near Boipariguda in Koraput district, Pujari was celebrated for her dedication to agriculture. In March 2017, the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar named a girls’ hostel after her. She received the ‘Equator Initiative Award’ in 2002 in Johannesburg and was honored with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, in 2019.

Additionally, Pujari was recognized as the ‘Best Woman Farmer’ by the Odisha government in 2004 and received the national ‘Krusi Bisarada Samman’ in New Delhi.


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