Chhattisgarh

• 20 Nov 2021

Plant Genome Savior Award

Why in News

• On November 19, 2021, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar honored four farmers of Chhattisgarh with 'Plant Genome Savior Award' for conservation of traditional varieties of plants.

Key Points

• Awarded farmers include Linguram Thakur (Bijapur), Deendayal Yadav (Janjgir-Champa), Hetram Devangan (Janjgir-Champa) and Sanjay Prakash Choudhary (Balod).
• Along with the award, the Agriculture Minister presented Rs 1.50 lakh in cash and a citation to these farmers.
• Farmer Linguram Thakur has played an important role in preserving and promoting the endangered species of paddy in tribal dominated areas.
• Deendayal Yadav was awarded for conservation and promotion of 36 traditional varieties of vegetables, while Hetram Devangan was awarded for conservation and promotion of indigenous varieties of Sai Bitter gourd and Sai Gourd.
• Sanjay Prakash Chaudhary was honored for conservation of Arkar Dubraj (Paddy) by using innovative experiments for organic farming using traditional knowledge. They do organic farming of 11 traditional varieties of paddy, which are known for their aroma and taste in an organic way.
• This award is given every year by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to farmers for saving and promoting the production of those varieties.