President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Sethpal Singh, a progressive farmer of Saharanpur’s Nandi Ferozepur village with the highest civilian honor – The Padma Shri Award on 21st March 2022 in a program at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. On talking with Krishi Jagran, Sethpal Singh, expressed his happiness and gratitude for this achievement!
This year a total of 128 Padma Awards were conferred. The list of awardees comprised four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri Awards. 34 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 Posthumous awardees.
Sethpal Singh – An Inspiration for Thousands of Farmers
In the ceremony where people were lauded for their outstanding contribution in fields ranging from tribal art and folk music to traditional crafts and literature. Sethpal Singh was honored for his contribution and demonstration of diversification in the agriculture sector for sustainable income for smallholder farmers.
He has also received many national-level awards in the past for doing new experiments in agriculture and now being honored with the Padma Shri is another addition to his list of accomplishments.
He was awarded the Innovative Krishak Samman by ICAR in the year 2012, followed by Jagjivan Ram Abhinav Kisan Award in 2014. And again Fellowship Award in the year 2020.
Sethpal Singh is one of the pioneers who has been experimenting & innovating agriculture, for example, he produces water chestnuts in the field instead of in the pond.
In his field, he is extensively involved in the production of lotus flowers, vegetables, fisheries, animal husbandry, as well as mushrooms. Along with sugarcane, he cultivates onion, fennel, potato, mustard, lentil, tinda and turmeric.
SP State Secretary, Chaudhary Rudrasen, Krishi Vigyan Kendra in-charge Dr. IK Kushwaha, Deputy Director Agriculture Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Yuva Gurjar Mahasabha's National General Secretary Lokesh Gurjar have expressed happiness on Sethpal Singh receiving Padma Shri.
