Delhi | President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Padma Shri posthumously on Dr Gopal Ji Trivedi, acclaimed agriculture scientist and former vice-chancellor of the Rajendra Agriculture University in Pusa, Bihar, on May 25 for his contributions to the field of agriculture.

Trivedi, who passed away on May 12 at the age of 96, was known for his pioneering work in agricultural extension education and rural development.

Born on February 15, 1930, Trivedi earned his B.Sc in Agriculture and M.Sc in Agriculture Extension Education degrees from the Bihar Agricultural College in Sabour, before completing his PhD in the same subject from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARU) in Delhi in 1963.

He later served as a professor at the Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi, Bihar, and as director of extension education at the Rajendra Agriculture University, and subsequently as the vice-chancellor of the same varsity from 1988 to 1991.

Trivedi was widely known for developing the socio-economic status scale for rural families, popularly referred to as the 'Trivedi Scale', which introduced quantitative measurement of qualitative socio-economic indicators in rural studies.

Popularly known in the region as 'Gaon Purush', 'Kishan Mitra' and 'Karma Yogi', Trivedi spent more than three decades in his native village, working closely with farmers to improve agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.

He also pioneered the Bihar Aquaculture Based Agriculture (BABA) model by helping farmers convert waterlogged land into fish-based farming systems, besides encouraging winter maize cultivation and modern litchi orchard management techniques in the eastern state.

Over the years, Trivedi received several honours, including the Krishi Rishi Award in 2015 and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by former president Pratibha Patil in 2011 for his contributions to agriculture.