Archit Watts Muktsar, November 12 Balwinder Singh Tikka, a renowned kinnow grower from Abul Khurana village in Malout subdivision here, has made the district proud again as Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh honoured him with Guru Nanak Dev Ji Achievers Award at a state-level function in Kapurthala on November 10. Balwinder, who is known as ‘Kinnow King of India’, has got many prestigious awards in the past. He is famous for turning barren land into orchards. Balwinder said he was the lone horticulturist from the district who was honoured with the award. “I am thankful to the state government for honouring me with the award on the auspicious occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji. It happened due to my contribution to the field of citrus cultivation. The function was well organised. It was for the first time that the government sent some representative to bring the awardees from their houses and made arrangements for their stay in state-of-art hotels. It is the hard work, contribution of my family and blessings of the Guru ji that I got the award,” he said. Notably, Balwinder was crowned as ‘Kinnow King of India’ in 2012. His family’s orchards are spread over 100 acres. Nearly all of his land is 10-12 ft higher than the average ground level. Some areas are even 20 ft high. For this, he is also known as ‘Tibbeya Da Sardar’. He has also won the Late Mohanrao Totey Memorial Citrus Award 2017 in the World Orange Festival organised in Nagpur.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhatinda headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.