Felicitation of Bhavarlalji Jain by the Padma Shri
Jalgaon, 5 May, 2008 - The Indian government presented the prestigious awards at the Ashoka Hall, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi. 61 individuals among the 119 were besotted with this prestigious award in the first slot which included personalities including acclaimed singer Asha Bhosale, Pranav Mukherjee, Late Mr. Edmund Hillary, Mr. Narayan Murty of Infosys, S R Oberoi and Sachin Tendulkar, Mr. D R Mehta and Founder Chairman of Jain Irrigation Bhavarlalji Jain (Bhau). Among the 61 individuals Bhau stands out as the pioneer receiver of the Padma Shri in the Jalgaon district. The most important aspect for Jain Irrigation and Business Association is that for the first time two chairpersons among the chairman’s committee are the honorable receivers of the Padma Shri for the same time.
Total of the 119 momentous achievers from different sectors were felicitated by the Indian government. 13 Padma Vibhushan, 35 Padma Bhushan and 71 Padma Shri awards were conferred upon. 16 honorees belong to Maharashtra. Prominent philosopher and intellectual, the pioneer chairman of the Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. Shri Bhavarlal Jain was honored with Padma Shri on the account of his invaluable contribution towards “Science and Engineering”.
“The award conferred upon me is the honor of the agriculturists. Improvement in the lifestyle of the common farmers, proper utilization of the water and increase in the productivity, utilization of the organic residue are among the programs undertaken with the view of social service of the Jain Irrigation. Agriculture forms the backbone of Indian economy but in the recent times this is not the case. We are further trying to turnover the non cultivable land to the cultivable land” was the reaction given by Bhavarlalji.
A revolution brought about by Bhau in the fields of drip irrigation, fruit production, tissue culture has earned him respect in the minds of people in the entire nation. Bhau himself proves to be the ‘Son of the Soil’ by his invaluable contribution to the farms and the farmlands by his actions as well as the reflection and contemplation through which he has established pivotal success in the fields of agro related industries. For his excellent work in the field of research and engineering, Bhau has been conferred upon 34 state, 113 national awards and 4 international awards. “Crawford Reed Memorial” the most prestigious award of the international stature. This award was given by the JISL to Mr. Bhavarlal for ‘Excellent work in the field of irrigation outside America’.Not only has this but he also conferred upon the Doctorate titles thrice in a row across the country. First among them was the Uttar Maharashtra Vidyapeeth which honored Mr. Jain by the “Doctorate of the letters’ followed by the DSC conferred upon by the Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krushi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, followed by the DSC by the Maharana Pratap Agriculture and Technology, Rajasthan. Bhau and his sons are a strong support to the fields of art, literature and culture through the “Jain Charity”.
This grand award function was witnessed by the Vice President, Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh, Central Home Minister Shri Shivraj Patil, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee, Head of the Congress party Ms. Sonia Gandhi, and the Railway Minister, Shri Laluprasad Yadav. This programme was also witnessed by the entire Jain family. Uncle Dalubhau Jain, Brother Kantilalji Jain, Bhau’s son Ashok Jain, grandson Athang Jain, daughter-in-law Jyoti Jain, Dr. Subhash Choudhary, banana agriculture researcher K. B. Patil were present for the ceremony.
The prestigious Padma Shri award was like a jewel in the crown among all the awards. This led to the atmosphere of utmost excitement and joy in the Jalgaon district.
Back to News Headlines
