Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on December 23 conferred the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 on 24 eminent scientists and innovators at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, recognising outstanding contributions to India’s scientific and technological advancement.
The prestigious Rashtriya Vigyan Ratna Puraskar for lifetime achievement was awarded posthumously to renowned astrophysicist Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, honouring his seminal work in cosmology and science communication. The award was presented in the presence of Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.
One of the highlights of the ceremony was the conferment of the Rashtriya Vigyan Team Puraskar 2025 on the CSIR-Aroma Mission, the science-led initiative credited with powering India’s widely discussed Purple Revolution through lavender-based agri-entrepreneurship. The Aroma Mission has played a key role in translating laboratory research into field-level outcomes. By promoting the cultivation and processing of aromatic crops—particularly lavender—in the Himalayan region, the mission has opened new livelihood avenues for farmers, reduced dependence on imported essential oils, and generated measurable socio-economic impact.
Lavender cultivation, which began in Bhaderwah and Gulmarg areas of Jammu and Kashmir, has since expanded across the Union Territory and is now being adopted by other hill states including Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, instituted by the Government as part of a restructured national science awards framework, aims to acknowledge excellence across the full spectrum of scientific work—ranging from lifetime achievement and distinguished contributions to young scientist recognition and team-based innovation. This year’s ceremony marked the second edition of the awards.
