In a first in Himachal, Dr. Lal Singh, director, Himalayan Research Group (HRG), a NGO based in Shimla, has been given the prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Award for application of science and technology for rural development – 2021.
Under Dr Lal Singh HRG worked with the local villagers in remote regions ranging from Ladhagi and Dhalair in Kullu district to Namaskar valley in the cold desert of Kargil in Ladakh and Uttarkashi in Uttarkhand and brought smiles on their faces by installing water heating system and through the cultivation of traditional crops using the novel technology.
Dr Lal is the first scientist from Himachal Pradesh, who has been selected for this award that consists of a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a citation.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has also congratulated Dr Lal and HRG for the prestigious award given to him in recognition of his contribution to help the villagers by the need based technological intervention in the remote regions of the state. In its endeavour to end the miseries of villagers in the remote region of the Himalaya , HRG took novel water heating and room heating technology inside the homes in mountain ending the age old miseries mainly of rural women, who used to bear the major burden households chores due to lack of lighting and heating facilities.
Dr Lal told Himbumail that HRG developed novel water heating system and installed the water heaters in Kawar, Jubbarhati, Iplidhar, Latheri and Chaneri in Nankhari area of Shimla district. The women, mainly menstruating women used to face huge miseries in winter months. They got a fresh lease of life as they got water heaters and room heating system in Bagasarahan, Dhlair Margi, Sarsha Buchair Ladhagi in Kullu district, he adds.
Similarly the HRG took easy to use water heaters in Gohar block and Prashar areas in Mandi, in remote village of Chanki in Chamba, Matal Bakogh in Sirmour district. These water heaters were also installed in villages in the freezing heights of Namskar valley in Kargil district of Ladakh union territory and we took these heaters in snowbound areas of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, Dr Lal says.
HRG worked with the farmers in tribal and remote of areas of Himachal to promote the cultivation of depleting high health valley crops of buckwheat and amaranth. “We encouraged cultivation of buckwheat in Sangla valley in Kinnaur and red rice, kidney beans, amaranth, barley, buckwheat in Gohar Block of Mandi:, Dr Lal says, thanking the Foundation for the Honour to him in recognition of the efforts that HRG made in taking technology to the rural mountain areas.
Dr Lal says HRG encouraged mushroom and beans cultivation in the rural areas that add to the incomes of the villages mainly women. They increased the sources of livelihoods without harming local flora and fauna, he adds.
Dr. Lal Singh comes from a remote village of Danghiiyara in Seraj constituency of Mandi district and majors in botanical sciences at HP university that has added another feather to his cap.
Fired by a vision to do something beneficial for the farming community in the mountains, Dr Lal Singh set up the Himalayan Research Group in 1997 with the help of his likeminded professionals and friends. Today, NGO has been a designated “core group” for Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) division of the Department of Science and Technology (Govt. of India) since 2005.
HRG encouraged the farmers to adopt technology to cultivate mushrooms and medicinal plants, semi-processing them. NGO also helped revive the cultivation of native crops like buckwheat, barley, red rice, kidney beans, Amaranth. The group is also working on fodder development and silage technology in rural Himachal, says Dr Lal.
During the last 24 years, HRG has successfully implemented more than 40 projects funded by different national and international organizations. These were need based interventions that directly or indirectly benefitted local community in creation of new livelihood avenues, better financial earnings, and improvement in the quality of living, Dr Sudesh Mahajan, financial advisor, HRG.
“Women empowerment is major focus of interventions that intend to make them financially independent and reducing their drudgery”, Dr Lal said. “We also helped save local environment and the flora and fauna of the area by encouraging sustainable use of of resources among them”.
About Dr Lal Singh and HRG:
Dr Singh is a member of steering committee on Voluntary Sector for 12th Five Year Plan of the then Planning Commission of India, Research Policy Committee (RPC) of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Deharadun. Dr. Singh is also a member of the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) and its expert Committee constituted for formulating Operational Guidelines of Mission Medicinal Plants for Supply Chain Management. Dr. Singh has visited the USA, UK, Canada, Thailand and Finland on invitation of national and international organizations for imparting trainings and talks.
Dr. Lal Singh and HRG were also awarded HP State Innovation Award in 2018. This award was conferred for developing Mountain Solar Water Heating Systems after rigorous evaluation by the HP State Innovation Council. Women scientist of HRG, Dr. Maninder Jeet Kaur was awarded “National Award for Women Empowerment through Application of Science and Technology” in 2006.
HRG says the group provides need-based technology driven durable solutions in the area of Clean Energy, Health, Nutrition, Livelihood, Enterprise, Women Empowerment and Employment Generation in remote and difficult areas of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).
The group endeavors to further strengthen and scale up its activities. HRG gratefully acknowledges and accepts the rare honour bestowed upon Dr. lal Singh and expresses its sincere gratitude to Jamana Lal Bajaj Foundation for recognizing and appreciating the efforts of Dr. Lal Singh and HRG.
About Jamnalal Foundation:
The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, established in 1977, confers four Awards for propagating the ideals of Jamnalal Bajaj at the global level. These annual awards are Foundation’s felicitation for those who are involved in social work at the grass root level and are committed to inclusive development in line with the Gandhian values for promoting, community service and social development. The honour is annually given for an outstanding contribution in the field of application of science and technology for rural and tribal development, particularly for the benefit of the weaker sections of the society.
This important award was instituted in 1978; and constitutes of a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh a trophy and a citation (www.jamnalalbajajawards.org).
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