MS Swaminathan, hailed as the father of the green revolution in India, passed away at the age of 98 in Chennai on Thursday, September 28.
He established the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in 1988 as a not-for-profit trust from the proceeds of the First World Food Prize which he received in 1987.
An official of the institute said that he passed away around 11am.
Born in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, he was named the first World Food Prize laureate for developing and spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India during the 1960s when that country faced the prospect of widespread famine.
Swaminathan worked with late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to establish agricultural policies.
He chaired numerous prestigious international conferences, including the 1974 United Nations World Food Congress in Rome.
His daughter Dr Soumya Swaminathan, who served as the chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2019-2022 took over as chairperson of the MSSRF earlier in January.
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