Dr. MS Swaminathan, hailed as the father of Indias green revolution, was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna for his outstanding contributions to agriculture and farmers welfare. Recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century, he played a pivotal role in India s self-reliance in agriculture during challenging times.
Expressing his concern over indiscriminate pumping of groundwater in Punjab, Swaminathan in 2019 in his piece of advice for successive governments had said: "The groundwater situation in the Punjab is not good. Free electricity or low cost electricity should be avoided, since this promotes excessive pumping of groundwater. I have high regards for Punjab farmers."
M.S. Swaminathan, known as the pioneer of India s Green Revolution, passed away on Thursday at the age of 98. Swaminathan s groundbreaking work in the development of high-yielding rice varieties significantly contributed to enhancing the productivity of India s small-scale farmers. His final rites are expected to take place on Sunday.