Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, the man behind India’s Green Revolution has passed away. He was an agronomist, agricultural scientist and plant geneticist.
He is the main architect of India’s green revolution in India. He spearheaded a mass movement with farmers and other scientists, which helped save India and Pakistan from certain famine-like conditions in the 1960s.
The Green Revolution in India was initiated in the 1960s by introducing high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat to increase food production to alleviate hunger and poverty. This revolution led to an increase in food grain production especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Swaminathan was the recipient of several prestigious awards, including Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Ramon Magsaysay Award, and the World Food Prize, among others.
In 1961, he was awarded one of the national awards, ‘the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award’. Following this, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards. He also received the H. K. Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize.
Uppal Shah, Co-founder and CEO of AgriMandi.live Research said “It is a sad day for India. The person who is responsible for our food, nutrition, and sustenance is no more. The citizens of India are grateful to him. We salute him.”