Jeypore: Padma Shri awardee Kamala Pujari has been admitted to Saheed Laxman Nayak (SLN) Medical College and Hospital in Koraput district after she fell ill few days back. She is suffering from multiple old age related complications.
Informing about her health condition, Koraput chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dr Makarananda Behura said, “She was first admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). While undergoing treatment there, her condition deteriorated further as she developed kidney related problems. She was then shifted to SLN Medical College and Hospital.”
The pioneer of preserving hundreds of varieties of paddy seeds, Pujari has been ailing for last couple of days. As she is suffering from multiple health complications. She was bedridden at her house earlier and had given up taking diet, a source said.
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A tribal woman, Pujari was conferred the Padma Shri for being a pioneer in preserving hundreds of local varieties of paddy seeds and for promoting organic farming. She has preserved more than a hundred varieties of locally grown paddy. Pujari is also a crusader against usage of chemical fertiliser.
Padma Shri apart, she is also the recipient of ‘Equator of Initiative Award’ in 2002, the ‘Best Woman Farmer’ in the state in 2004, and in 2007, a newly-built women’s hostel of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar was also named after her.
PNN