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Professor Sardara Singh Johal Received The Padam Bhushan Award
About
Professor Sardara Singh Johl
Dr Sardara Singh Johl, a noted Agricultural Economist of the
country, was born on 2nd August, 1928, in a farming family in District Lyalpur
of Punjab (Now in Pakistan). After schooling in his village and small towns, he
earned his B.Sc. (Ag), M.Sc. (Ag. Econ), M.A. (Econ). Ph.D. (Econ) from
Punjab University. His work in agriculture and rural development started in 1952
in hill areas with emphasis on introduction of improved production technology
and watershed management through construction of sixteen water tanks for life
saving irrigation. After working with farmers and rural populations for more
than eight years in various capacities, he joined the Punjab Agricultural
University as Assistant Professor and became Professor and Head of the
department of economics and sociology in 1965. Here he developed farm accounts
books and motivated the farmers to adopt farming as a business enterprise. His
books, (1) Farm Financial Management, (2) Marketing of Food grains, (3)
Fundamentals of Farm Business Management and (4) Application of Linear
Programming Techniques to Farm Business were outstanding contributions for
teaching, research and extension work amongst farmers. He has published 7
professional books and more than 200 research papers and articles in journals of
repute and one widely acclaimed book in Punjabi, which has been translated into
Hindi and published by Punjabi University and into Urdu by languages department
of Punjab Government.
His outstanding commissioned reports (1) Rationalization of Electricity Tariff
in Punjab, (2) Diversification of Agriculture in Punjab, (3) Structural
Adjustments in Cropping Patterns for Growth and Productivity in Punjab, (4)
Structural Reforms in Agriculture Sector for Productivity and Growth in India,
(5) Resource Generation, Consultancy, Contract Research, Incentives and Reward
System (Adopted by ICAR and State Agricultural Universities) are important
policy contributions at state and national level. His world bank consultancy
report for Russia after disintegration of USSR, Earlier critical analysis of
five year plans of USSR, Rationalization of policies for agricultural
development in China, Assessment of Chinese Agriculture for GOI, Marketing of
Agricultural produce in Ethiopia, Framework of Sustainable development of
Agriculture Sector in Iran, Agriculture Development Planning in Iran, Analysis
of Development Plans in Middle East Countries, Agricultural Policy Analysis for
Somalia, Irrigation and Agriculture Development in Middle East are some of his
notable contributions to the agricultural policy at the international level.
Inter alia, he served as (1) Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University Patiala,
(2) Vice Chancellor PAU (for short period), (3) Chairman, Commission for
Agricultural Costs and Prices, GOI, (4) Member Economic Advisory Council of Four
Prime Ministers of India, (5) Director Central Governing Board of Reserve Bank
of India, (6) Member Board of Financial Supervision RBI and member Boards of
Management/ Syndicates of Guru Nanak Dev University, Baba Farid University of
Health Services and H. P. Agricultural University, Chairman, Research Council of
National Center for Agricultural Research and Policy, Member Research Council of
IHBT of CSIR.
In recognition of his professional contributions and concerns and efforts for
social and cultural uplift of the society (1) Punjabi University Patiala
conferred the degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) on him, (2) ICAR
conferred the award of Professor of Eminence in Economics, (3) National Academy
of Agricultural Sciences awarded Fellowship of the Academy, (4) Punjab Academy
of Sciences honored him with Fellowship, (5) Punjabi Sahit Akademi with Life
Fellowship, (6) Chief Khalsa Diwan with Centenary Award, (7) College of
Agriculture PAU with Golden Jubilee Outstanding Alumni Award, (8) Professor
Mohan Singh Foundation with 'Mahan Punjbi' Award and (9) M.S.M with Dr. Madan
Gold Medal Award.
He was unanimously elected (1) President of the Indian Society of Agricultural
Economics in 1983, (2) President of Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing in
1988, (3) President Indian Agricultural Economics Research Association 1987 to
1994 and President Punjabi Sahit Akademi for Six years. He chaired three
sessions of International Agricultural Economics Association in Minsk (USSR) in
1970.
In the field of social service he is (1) Patron for Life, Guru Gobind Singh
Charitable Trust which annually spends Rs 10 to12 lakh on poor patients and
holds Five medical and eye camps, (2) Past President, Paul Harris Fellow and
patron to the Rotary Ludhiana North, (3) President of Rotary Senior Citizens
Home Trust, (4)Patron of Peoples Action Front, which sensitizes the people
against economic, social and political corruption and malpractices and their
responsibilities toward emoncracy. Dr. Johl is a man larger than life. He is an
organic scholar, whose interests go beyond economics and policy advisement. He
has made outstanding contribution to the Punjabi literature and has contributed
for more than two and half years middler column titled, 'Mera Bharat Mahan'
dedicated to constructive criticism of social, cultural and political
incongruencies in the national system. He has made his dream of value based
education come true through managing a state of the art Amardeep Memorial
College in the thick of the rural area of Punjab, financially supported by the
NRIs and local donors. More than 14 crore investment and no government support!
He is Chief Patron of NRI supported Muti-specialties Hospital being
constructed, again in the thick of poor rural area, with 12 crore investment in
infrastructure and 5 crore corpus fund for running expenses support. If
replicated, these efforts would completely revolutionize the education and
health services in rural areas of the country.
Recognizing his contributions to the agricultural
policy in the state, he has been appointed Chairman of the Chief Ministers'
Advisory committee on Agricultural Policy and Vice Chairman of Punjab State
Planning Board with the status of a Cabinet minister in Punjab.
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