Raghupat Singh
A Moradabad farmer who spent his life saving traditional seeds of grains, pulses and vegetables, honoured posthumously with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Raghupat Singh was a farmer who made it his life’s work to save and share the old seeds of his region. He was named posthumously for the Padma Shri in 2026, from Uttar Pradesh [1].
A farmer’s son
Singh was born on 27 October 1944 in Samathal village, Moradabad district [2]. He studied at the village school, then took master’s degrees in geography and political science at Chandausi and a law degree in Moradabad [2]. He learned farming from his father, who knew the land well [2].
Saving seeds
The conservation of traditional seeds was his main work [2]. He kept and improved seeds of pulses, oilseeds, wheat and rice, as well as rajma, lentils and moong [2]. He also worked with many vegetables, from bottle gourd and okra to yam and arbi, and grew fruit trees including mango, papaya and guava [2].
He shared his knowledge on farm programmes on All India Radio, Rampur, and was given the title “Krishi Pandit” [2]. He received 13 national awards and 18 from the Uttar Pradesh government [2].
Local life
He contested assembly elections from Chandausi as an independent in 1980 and 1985 without success, and was elected to the Bilari block panchayat in 1995 and 2020 [2]. He died on 1 July 2025 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Raghupat Singh — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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