Wednesday, 10 November 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr BKS Sanjay and progressive farmer Prem Chand Sharma received the Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday.
Based in Dehradun with an experience of about 40 years, Dr Sanjay received his basic orthopaedic education and training from India and higher orthopaedic training and fellowship from Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, USA, Australia and Russia. Apart from registering an entry in the Guiness book of world records and multiple entries in the Limca book of records, Dr Sanjay is known not only for his professional skills but also for fulfilling his social obligations by providing his services free by holding camps in various parts of the state. Having taken a resolution to raise public awareness on the impacts of road traffic accidents, he has been undertaking an awareness campaign since 2002 using various media. In addition to conducting more than 5,000 operations on children suffering from polio and cerebral palsy, Dr Sanjay has organised more than 200 free health camps in remote and mountainous areas to serve the poor and needy which had been recorded in India book of records in 2017.
The other Padma Shri recipient from Uttarakhand, Prem Chand Sharma is a progressive farmer and horticulturist based in the Chakrata area of Dehradun district. Due to comparatively less profit in traditional agriculture systems, he decided to experiment in farming starting with the organic cultivation of pomegranates in 1994. After his initiative succeeded, he motivated others in the region to do the same. He then prepared a nursery of 1.5 lakh saplings of high yielding pomegranates in 2000 and distributed these to farmers in the region. Later in 2013, he formed the fruit and vegetable producers committee in the region with 200 farmers. Sharma also played an important role in the development of agriculture and horticulture in the region by opening Krishi Sewa Kendra at the village level.
