Ludhiana: The Dr Gurdev Singh Khush Foundation for the Advancement of Agricultural Sciences organized its annual award function, giving away awards to celebrate academic excellence and contributions s to agricultural research and development.  A total of 72 GS Khush Merit Scholarships  were awarded to outstanding undergraduate students belonging to rural areas of Punjab from the eight constituent colleges of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana.  In addition, five GS Khush Travel Grants were presented to faculty members and postgraduate students to support their participation in international conferences. 

A merit scholarship was also awarded to the top-performing student of PAU Model High School, Kaoni, Sri Muktsar Sahib.  

The Dr. Darshan Singh Brar Award in Agriculture-was given to Dr. Tilak Raj Sharma, ICAR National Professor at the National Institute of Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi.  He was honored for his pioneering contributions to rice improvement over more than three decades, particularly in advancing molecular breeding for disease resistance and developing widely adopted rice varieties.