Bhubaneswar, July 20: Padma Shri awardee Kamala Pujari passed away on July 20. She was 70.
Pujari breathed her last while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack due to cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment.
Pujari was suffering from kidney-related ailment and was admitted to the ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital on July 18.
Kamala, a tribal woman from Patraput Village, located 15 km from Jeypore near Boipariguda in the Koraput district, has gained recognition for her efforts in promoting organic farming and preserving hundreds of indigenous varieties of paddy.
In March 2017, a girls' hostel at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar was named in her honour. Her contributions were globally acknowledged when she received the 'Equator Initiative Award' in 2002 at Johannesburg. Further recognising her impact, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2019.
The Odisha government recognised Kamala as the 'Best Woman Farmer' in 2004. Her contributions to agriculture also earned her the national award 'Krusi Bisarada Samman' in New Delhi.
Kamala holds the unique distinction of being the first tribal woman included as a member of the Odisha State Planning Board. In March 2018, she was appointed to a five-member team responsible for drafting the state's five-year plan and providing policy guidelines for both short-term and long-term initiatives.
