Known as the ‘Father of the Green Revolution’, Monkomb Sambasivan Swaminathan played a key role in the introduction of changes in farming that helped India achieve food security.
Swaminathan died at his home in Chennai after an age-related illness on September 28. Born on August 7, 1925, in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, Swaminathan dedicated his life to improving the lives of India’s low-income farmers. In 1987, he set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai. According to Biotech Express magazine, MS Swaminathan was awarded 33 national and 32 international awards till 2016.
Also read: 10 facts about the legendary scientist
Awards in India
In 1961, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award. Later he was conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. He has also received the H K Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize.
Global Recognition
In 1965, Swaminathan received the Mendel Memorial Medal from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. In 1987, he was honoured with the first-ever World Food Prize for his role in introducing high-yielding wheat and rice varieties to India. He was also the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971 and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986. He also got the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Four Freedoms Award and the Planet and Humanity Medal of the International Geographical Union.
In 1988, Swaminathan became the president of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. He was named one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20th century by Time magazine.
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