07-05-2025
Agriculture and research institute bags seven awards
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute (PAJANCOA & RI), Karaikal, has bagged seven awards, including Best Research Institute Award, of the Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad.
Each year, the ICAR-IIRR national awards are given in recognition of excellence across various domains of rice research including methodology, scientific innovation, and impactful outcomes.
PAJANCOA & RI, was selected for the Best Research Institute Award, and the award was presented to A. Pouchepparadjou, Dean of PAJANCOA & RI, by D. K. Yadav, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, New Delhi, and R. M. Sundaram, Director of ICAR-IIRR, during the diamond jubilee Annual Rice Group Meeting held at Hyderabad recently.
The institution also earned recognition for excellence in Agronomy, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Agricultural Entomology, and Crop Physiology. S. Thirumeni, Professor, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his exceptional contributions to the field of rice research, according to a press release from PAJANCOA & RI.
Dr. Pouchepparadjou commended the hard work and dedication of the faculty, scientists, and students of the institution and their sustained commitment to impactful, farmer-centric agricultural research.
He also highlighted the institute's collaborative efforts with ICAR-IIRR under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), through which extensive rice research and outreach programmes were being implemented. The initiatives offered technological support and vital inputs to farmers—particularly from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. To date, over 1,000 farmers from Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, and Tamil Nadu had directly benefited from the programmes, he said.
He urged farmers to make the best use of the institute's support to improve productivity and increase their farm income.
