Padma Shri for PAU VC

Minna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 27

Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) BS Dhillon has been declared the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India.

Dr Dhillon is an illustrious scientist in plant breeding and genetic resources. He has served PAU as Director of Research and Maize Breeder and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, as Assistant Director-General, and Director, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, ICAR-NBPGR. He was also Director of Research, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Just prior to joining PAU as Vice-Chancellor, he was working in University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. Earlier, he served at the University of Birmingham, UK, and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico.

Dr Dhillon developed 16 maize varieties and hybrids, including ‘Paras’, the first single cross in India, 1995, and thereby, gave a new direction to maize breeding in the country. His pioneering work on maize cultivation during non-traditional season led to the emergence of spring maize as an important crop. He has developed new plant breeding methods and quantitative genetic analysis, which have become part of plant breeding text books.

As PAU Vice-Chancellor since 2011 and Director of Research during 2005-07, Dr Dhillon took numerous initiatives. As a result of these initiatives, PAU won Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR Institution Award – 2017, and is identified as a ‘Special Institution in Agriculture’ having great potential to reach national and global prominence by the Empowered Expert Committee of MHRD constituted for the selection of Institutions of Eminence. The university also occupies top rank in research publications and citations among all state, Central and deemed universities as per CII-India Citation Index Report, 2017.

Under Dr Dhillon’s guidance, PAU has developed new crop varieties.

The agricultural university has led the nation in the development of zinc-biofortified wheat and less seeded kinnow as steps towards nutritional security, diversification and value addition.

Dr Dhillon led the Joint Inter-State Campaign in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan that successfully managed the cotton whitefly, resulting in record productivity of 756 and 750 kg per ha of lint as compared to 197 kg per ha during 2015 and saving of pesticides worth Rs 2,589 and Rs 2,808 per ha during 2016 and 2017, respectively, in Punjab.

During his tenure as Director, NBPGR, Dr Dhillon actively participated in negotiations on the formulation of International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources to safeguard interests of Indian plant wealth.

Earlier awardees

Among the  PAU vice-chancellors who have been recipients of one (or more) of the  Padma Awards include Dr GS Kalkat, who passed  away last year. Dr Kalkat was awarded Padma Bhushan as well as Padma  Shri. Former vice-chancellors Khem Singh Gill and Dr SS Johl were awarded Padma Bhushan. 

About Padma Awards

The  Padma Awards, announced annually on the eve of Republic Day, are one of  the highest civilian honours of our country. The Padma Awards are given in three  categories viz. Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished  service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of higher order and  Padma Shri for distinguished service. These awards, ever since they were instituted in 1954, have been an annual feature except  for brief  interruptions during 1978, 1979 and 1993 to 1997. 

President’s Medal for Bhargava

Rakesh Bhargava, Senior Intelligence Officer, Directorate-General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Ludhiana Zone U, has been awarded Presidential Medal for Specially Distinguished Record of service. The medal, along with an appreciation certificate, will be presented to the officer at a ceremony in New Delhi. Bhargava joined the Central Excise, Customs Department, in 1990 as an Inspector. He has played a key role in the detection of central excise/service tax/GST cases involving revenue of more than Rs 200 crore during this short span of time in the DGGI. About Rs 100 crore of revenue has been recovered in these cases. Bhargava played a vital role in cracking the biggest fraud of issuing fake invoices by iron and steel traders.