Father of Green Revolution passes away

Kochi: Iconic agricultural scientist and father of the country’s Green Revolution, M S Swaminathan passed away at his residence in Chennai.
He was 98.
Born in Kumbakonam on August 7, 1925, Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan was attracted to agricultural science in the beginning. He pursued higher studies after discarding the offer to become a police officer.
He completed his postgraduate degree in cytogenetics in 1949 from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi and later got a PhD from the Cambridge. After post-doctoral research at the University of Wisconsin, Dr Swaminathan joined the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack and later, IARI.
It was during his stint as the IARI Director made wonders when the country was facing crises following successive droughts in the sixties. The country’s over dependence on imported foodgrains from the US provided him with the opportunity to work with the union government to implement the ‘Green Revolution,’ through adaptation of chemical-biological technology to become self-sufficient in food grain production.
He served as the head of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Principal Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. He was Member (Agriculture, Rural Development, Science and Education), Union Planning Commission and became Deputy Chairman of the body later.
He also led the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines.
He won a series of awards including Padma Shri, Ramon Magsaysay award and Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
He became the first to get the World Food Prize and the first foreigner to receive the Philippines Golden Heart Presidential Award.
He received the first World Agriculture Prize of the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture in October 2018.
He established the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), a not-for-profit trust in 1989. Dr Swaminathan has served as the chairman of the National Commission which submitted five reports recommending a minimum support price of at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production.
He was nominated as member of the Rajya Sabha in 2007.
Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist, World Health Organisation; Madhura Swaminathan, Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore and Nitya Rao, director, NISD, University of East Anglia, UK are his daughters. His wife Mina Swaminathan, who was Distinguished Chair, Gender and Development, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), predeceased him in 2022.