Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Social activist and Padma awardee Kamala Pujari has been shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from the casualty ward of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as her condition worsened yesterday.
According to the official reports, on August 21, Pujari was shifted to SCB from the district headquarters hospital in Koraput in a critical condition. She was brought to the hospital by a woman health worker from Patraput in an ambulance. The SCB authorities have formed a special team of doctors for the treatment of Pujari who is suffering from kidney-related ailments.
Pujari is from Koraput and was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2019 for reserving hundreds of indigenous species of paddy. Apart from collecting several endangered and rare types of crop seeds including paddy, turmeric, til and black cumin, Pujari also popularised organic farming in Koraput.
