Prime Minister Narendra Modi today remembered the contributions made by the renowned agricultural scientist Professor MS Swaminathan saying that his pioneering work in agriculture turned India from a food-deficient country into a self-sufficient nation.
 
In his blog written in Narendramodi.in, the Prime Minister said, the nation has lost a visionary whose contribution will always be etched in golden letters. Mr. Modi said, India was grappling with the ominous shadows of famine in the early 1960s, and then Prof. Swaminathan’s commitment and foresight ushered in a new era of agricultural prosperity. He said, Prof. Swaminathan’s pioneering work in agriculture and specific sectors like wheat breeding led to a significant increase in wheat production. He said, this tremendous achievement earned Prof. Swaminathan the well-deserved title of Father of the Indian Green Revolution.
 
The Prime Minister highlighted that five decades after the Green Revolution began, Indian agriculture has become far more modern and progressive, but the foundations laid by Prof. Swaminathan can never be forgotten. He said, today the world is talking about Millets or Shree Anna as superfoods but Prof. Swaminathan had encouraged discourse around millets since the 1990s.

Remembering his interaction with Prof. Swaminathan, the Prime Minister said, the Professor gave valuable insight into the soil health card scheme. Mr. Modi said, he met Prof. Swaminathan at the International Agro-Biodiversity Congress in 2016 and the next year in 2017, wherein he launched a two-part book series written by Professor. The Prime Minister said that people call Prof. Swaminathan a Krishi Vaigyanik – an Agricultural Scientist, but he was a true Kisan Vaigyanik – a Farmers’ Scientist.