Blooming Hope in the Hills: Aroma Mission Team Wins Top Science Award for Transforming Farmers’ Lives
In a heartening recognition of science serving society, the dedicated team behind the CSIR–Aroma Mission has been honoured with the prestigious Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (National Science Award) 2025.
The award celebrates the mission’s profound impact on Indian agriculture, focusing not just on crops, but on empowering farmers, building sustainable livelihoods, and breathing new fragrance into rural economies.
The Heart of the Mission in the Himalayas
Leading this transformative journey in the challenging Himalayan and hill regions has been the CSIR–Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR–IHBT) in Palampur. The institute turned vision into reality by providing farmers with the essential tools for success: high-yield aromatic crop varieties, tailored farming techniques, efficient distillation methods, and crucial market connections.
From Fields to Fragrance: A Story of Tangible Change
The mission’s success is measured in real-world change:
· Cultivating Opportunity: Introducing farmers to high-value crops like lavender, Damask rose, lemongrass, and chamomile across 4,500 hectares.
· Empowering Communities: Establishing 66 on-farm distillation units, especially in the Aspirational District of Chamba, allowing communities to add value right at their doorstep.
· Building Skills & Prosperity: Training thousands of farmers, Self-Help Groups, and rural youth, fostering local entrepreneurship.
· Enriching Lives: Enabling around 4,500 farming families to diversify income, reduce risks, and adopt sustainable practices, directly supporting national goals of doubling farmer income and building self-reliance.
· Growing a Green Economy: Generating an estimated ₹50 crores in revenue, proving that environmental care and economic growth can go hand-in-hand.
This award is a national tribute to the power of teamwork. Scientists from CSIR-IHBT, alongside other CSIR labs, state agencies, and industry partners, have shown how groundbreaking research can blossom into grassroots prosperity.
The CSIR–Aroma Mission stands as a fragrant proof that with the right support, science can cultivate not just plants, but also hope, resilience, and a sweeter future for rural India. CSIR-IHBT remains deeply committed to this journey of inclusive growth and sustainable prosperity.
