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M.S. Swaminathan (Imp. Topic)

Father of the Indian Green Revolution

Agricultural scientist Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminatha (Dr. M.S. Swaminathan), the man behind India’s Green Revolution, passed away.


About M.S. Swaminathan

  • He was known as the “Father of Economic Ecology” by the United Nations Environment Programme.

  • He had done groundbreaking work in the 1960s and 1970s revolutionised Indian agriculture, helping the country to stave off widespread famine and achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

  • India was importing close to three million tonnes of food grains in 1949-50, spending ₹150 crore at current prices.

  • Swaminathan’s pioneering efforts involved the development and introduction of high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, which significantly increased food grain production across India.

  • Swaminathan’s key role was in recognising the potential of the new genetic strains or “plant type” responsive to increased fertiliser and water application, and devising a coherent strategy for their introduction and large-scale planting by farmers.

  • He was equally right about aiming for an “Evergreen Revolution”, which, in his words, was an “improvement of productivity in perpetuity without ecological harm”.

Awards Given for his Contribution

  • In recognition of his monumental contributions, Swaminathan was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987. He used the prize money to establish the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai, further cementing his commitment to sustainable and inclusive agricultural practices.

  • His other notable accolades include the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971 and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986.

  • He was the Padma Vibhushan awardee, and was Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and headed the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.

Key Facts

– Swaminathan’s team brought over the Norin-10 wheat varieties of Japanese origin, under Borlaug’s guidance, crossed them with Indian wheat varieties and produced the popular short-statured wheat varieties of the early Green Revolution period: Kalyan Sona, Sonalika, Safed Lerma, and Chhoti Lerma.

– In rice, Swaminathan and his team brought over prototypes of the Chinese dwarf variety Dee-geo-Woo-gen from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Manila and crossed these with tall indica varieties in India and developed the popular short-stemmed varieties: Jaya and Padma, followed by Hamsa, Krishna, Cauvery, Bala, Ratna, Vijaya CO-34, Jamuna, Sabarmati, Pankaj, Jagannath and so on.



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