Local woman bags Krishi Karman Award

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, January 6

Harinder Kaur of Birbalpur village near here has become the first woman farmer from the area to receive Krishi Karman Award from the Union Government during a function presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tumkur in Karnataka on January 2.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Dalbir Singh Chinna claimed, “She is the first woman from Punjab who has received the award. It is given to progressive farmers from across the country.” Harinder has received the award for record production of basmati. “She has cultivated over 20 quintals of basmati per acre,” said Chinna.

A postgraduate in zoology from Guru Nanak Dev University with specialisation in fisheries, Harinder said she learnt about agriculture from her grandmother Swinder Kaur. “My grandfather died when my grandmother was 21 years old. She took care of land and children. She was actively looking after the daily business and children,” she said.

Harinder said that even after marriage she continued helping her husband and took over completely when he fell ill. “First of all I got the PH level of water and soil checked in my fields. When the corrective measures were taken the results were very encouraging. My education helped me immensely,” she said.

Harinder, who owns 32 acres of land, has experimented with many crops till date. “I had stopped burning crop residue in fields long ago and it has helped the soil health. In an advice to other farmers, she said, “We should use chemical scarcely and ensure that the soil health is not compromised.”

“She is regular participant at the awareness events and other programmes organised by the Agriculture Department. Her achievement would encourage more farmers. It was a tough competition as recipients for awards were screened at various levels,” said Dr Chinna.