Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday conferred honorary doctorate on Raimati Gheuria, a tribal woman from Odisha’s Koraput district, for her significant contributions to agriculture.
The President presented the certificate to Raimati during the 40th Convocation of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar.
Raimati, who has conserved 72 traditional rice varieties and 30 millet types, is called ‘Mandia Rani’ (Queen of Millets). She was also invited to the G20 Summit as a special guest to commemorate the International Year of Millets.
Belonging to Nuaguda village in Koraput district, Raimati did not have any formal education and instead used to work as a daily labourer to feed her family. But her spontaneous instinct to love nature drove her to preserve traditional grains which were fast depleting in the modern farming techniques.
Speaking to the media, she said, “We have been eating millets for generations. Initially I faced challenges to preserve and promote the millets. But MS Swaminathan sir, eminent agronomist and agricultural scientist, taught me everything about millet. Under his guidance I have been promoting millets not only among the women of our community but also in the international arena.”
“Now millet has reached the global market and is consumed by people of all sections of the society. I am extremely happy for this,” she added.
