MS Swaminathan to be conferred Bharat Ratna, announces PM Modi

Agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday."He played a pivotal role in helping India achieve self-reliance in agriculture during challenging times and made outstanding efforts towards modernising Indian agriculture," PM Modi said, announcing the decision of the Government of India on conferring Bharat Ratna to MS Swaminathan.The Prime Minister further said, "We also recognise his invaluable work as an innovator and mentor and encouraging learning and research among several students. Dr. Swaminathan’s visionary leadership has not only transformed Indian agriculture but also ensured the nation’s food security and prosperity.""He was someone I knew closely and l always valued his insights and inputs," PM Modi said.PM Modi has also announced that former prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh will be honoured with the Bharat Ratna.The Indian government had earlier announced the country's highest civilian honour for LK Advani and Karpoori Thakur.MS Swaminathan, Father of Green RevolutionMonkomb Sambasivan Swaminathan, or MS Swaminathan, passed away on 28 September, 2023. He was called the ‘Father of the Green Revolution’ for his major role in the set of changes introduced in farming in the 1960s and ‘70s that helped India achieve food security.Swaminathan cleared his civil services examination, but since he had interest in agriculture and ended up pursuing research in the field.He had served at a number of institutions related to the agriculture sector in both India and abroad – as an Independent Chairman of the Food and Agricultural Organisation Council (1981-85), President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (1984-90), President of the World Wide Fund for Nature (India) from 1989-96 and the Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).With inputs from agencies