Dr. D Puthira Prathap of ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute has been awarded the Tamil Nadu Scientist Award for 2021 in the 'Social Sciences' category, recognizing his 26-year career and contributions to agricultural and rural development.
Coimbatore: Dr. D Puthira Prathap, Principal Scientist at ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, has been chosen for the prestigious Tamil Nadu Scientist Award for 2021 in the 'Social Sciences' category. The Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, Government of Tamil Nadu, conferred this honor, which includes a cash prize of Rs.50,000 and a citation.
Dr. Prathap, a member of the 1995 batch of Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has had an illustrious career spanning over 26 years. His work has significantly impacted the agricultural and rural development sector, focusing on the dissemination of agricultural technologies and fostering rural development in remote areas.
Throughout his career, Dr. Prathap has played a crucial role in influencing the decision-making processes of sugarcane, sheep, and rabbit farmers in Tamil Nadu through innovative extension methods. He currently serves as the Chief Editor of two scientific journals: the Journal of Extension Education and the Journal of Sugarcane Research.
At ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Dr. Prathap initiated the Canelnfo project, a dynamic, user-centric website that connects stakeholders with valuable knowledge. As the Principal Investigator of the 'Farmers Participatory Action Research Project,' his work led to enhanced sugarcane productivity, increased profitability for growers, and a significant 19% conservation of water resources.
One of the notable outcomes of this project was the development of the 'Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI),' which won the First Prize in the National Water Awards in 2019 from the Ministry of Water Resources (Jal Shakti), Government of India. The device also received the TERI-IWA-UNDP Water Sustainability Award (Team) in 2021 for Excellence in Water Use Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector.
Dr. Prathap's research extends to mass media and information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion among rural women and youth in economically disadvantaged districts of Tamil Nadu. He has also worked extensively with tribal communities, assessing the needs of the Malasar and Mala Malasar tribes in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and the Urali tribes in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Dr. Prathap received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Outstanding Postgraduate Research in 2005 from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. His other accolades include the Best Telecentre Initiative award for the Canelnfo portal, Dr. Narasinga Rao's Founders Day Prize for General Knowledge, and recognition for the best multimedia instructional module from ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad.
Dr. Prathap, a member of the 1995 batch of Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has had an illustrious career spanning over 26 years. His work has significantly impacted the agricultural and rural development sector, focusing on the dissemination of agricultural technologies and fostering rural development in remote areas.
Throughout his career, Dr. Prathap has played a crucial role in influencing the decision-making processes of sugarcane, sheep, and rabbit farmers in Tamil Nadu through innovative extension methods. He currently serves as the Chief Editor of two scientific journals: the Journal of Extension Education and the Journal of Sugarcane Research.
At ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Dr. Prathap initiated the Canelnfo project, a dynamic, user-centric website that connects stakeholders with valuable knowledge. As the Principal Investigator of the 'Farmers Participatory Action Research Project,' his work led to enhanced sugarcane productivity, increased profitability for growers, and a significant 19% conservation of water resources.
One of the notable outcomes of this project was the development of the 'Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI),' which won the First Prize in the National Water Awards in 2019 from the Ministry of Water Resources (Jal Shakti), Government of India. The device also received the TERI-IWA-UNDP Water Sustainability Award (Team) in 2021 for Excellence in Water Use Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector.
Dr. Prathap's research extends to mass media and information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion among rural women and youth in economically disadvantaged districts of Tamil Nadu. He has also worked extensively with tribal communities, assessing the needs of the Malasar and Mala Malasar tribes in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and the Urali tribes in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Dr. Prathap received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Outstanding Postgraduate Research in 2005 from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. His other accolades include the Best Telecentre Initiative award for the Canelnfo portal, Dr. Narasinga Rao's Founders Day Prize for General Knowledge, and recognition for the best multimedia instructional module from ICAR-NAARM, Hyderabad.