M S Swaminathan passes away

• Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, the father of green revolution in India, passed away recently at the age of 98.
• He had played a crucial role in heralding the Green Revolution that helped India combat food insecurity.

ABOUT M S SWAMINATHAN

• He was born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency in 1925.
• He cleared the examination for the civil services but Swaminathan was interested in agriculture foremost and soon ended up pursuing research in the field.
• He served as the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• He also became Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in Philippines
• He established M S Swaminathan Research Foundation in 1988.
• He was the Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers in 2004.

CONTRIBUTION TO GREEN REVOLUTION

• He was the architect of India’s Green Revolution.
• Swaminathan worked on enhancing crop varieties, particularly rice and wheat and pioneered the development of semi-dwarf wheat varieties to reduce lodging and boost yields.
• Collaborated with Norman Borlaug to develop high-yielding dwarf wheat varieties suitable for Indian conditions.
• Components of Green Revolution: Use of High-Yeilding Variety (HYV) seeds, Application of fertilizers, Mechanization of farming, Price Incentives.
• He also recognized the challenges of the Green Revolution, including the displacement of local crop varieties, soil fertility conservation issues, and indiscriminate pesticide use.

AWARDS

• Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971, UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize in 1994, UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal in 1999.
• Swaminathan was awarded the first World Food Prize Laureate in 1987 for his contributions to India’s wheat and rice production.
• He received the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.