Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Dhalai, has secured the Best Zonal KVK Award for the year 2025, conferred by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi.

The prestigious award was presented during the NAAS Foundation Day Ceremony on June 5 in the presence of nationally and internationally acclaimed scientists and academicians.

The award ceremony was graced by eminent dignitaries including Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICRISAT; Former Secretary, DARE and DG, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India; and Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Principal Advisor to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and Former Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO), and former Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

On behalf of the KVK Dhalai team, Dr. Abhijit Debnath, Senior Scientist and Head, graciously received the award during the ceremony. This recognition includes a Shield, Certificate of Merit, Citation, and a cash prize of Rs. 25,000, and honors the role of KVKs in enhancing agricultural knowledge, promoting technological innovations, and strengthening the livelihoods of farmers.

The award aims to encourage healthy competition among KVKs at the national level, incentivize efficient performance in applying science and technology for the benefit of the farming community and promote institutional pride and stimulate the large-scale adoption of scientific practices for increased productivity, profitability, and sustainability in agriculture.

To be eligible, KVKs must have completed at least ten years of service. A cooling-off period of 5 years is applicable for previous awardees. An expert Judging Committee, chaired by the President of NAAS, evaluated the applications based on the work done over the last five years, including the award year.

KVK Dhalai was recognized for its exemplary efforts across several parameters: socio-economic impact of agricultural programmes on the farming community, enhancement of productivity, profitability, and livelihood security of farmers, youth skill development, entrepreneurship promotion, and self-employment generation, mobilization of external funding and effective use of the revolving fund for institutional strengthening, active promotion of farmer collectives and group action, regular publication of extension literature, research articles, and knowledge-sharing resources and recognition from national and international bodies, enhancing the credibility and visibility of the KVK’s initiatives.

KVK Dhalai has been instrumental in bridging the gap between scientific research and rural agricultural practices, making cutting-edge technology accessible and understandable to even the most remote villages. The Centre has played a transformative role in enhancing food security, promoting climate-resilient agriculture, and empowering rural youth and women through its inclusive and participatory extension models.