MS Swaminathan, Father Of Green Revolution, Passes Away At 98 In Chennai

Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (MS Swaminathan), legendary agricultural scientist and father of India’s ‘Green Revolution,’ died at the age of 98 in Chennai on Thursday.

Born on August 7, 1925 in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, he was an agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator, and humanitarian who played a crucial role in developing high-yielding varieties of paddy that helped ensure India’s low-income farmers produce more yield.

Swaminathan, who is known as the "Father of Economic Ecology" by the United Nations Environment Programme, worked closely with agriculture ministers including C Subramaniam and Jagjivan Ram during 1960s and 70s for the success of the ‘Green Revolution,’ an initiative that paved the way for exponential rise in productivity of wheat and rice through adaptation of chemical-biological technology.