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 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 11 am. Further details on the cause of his death were awaited.
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. He worked with late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to establish agricultural policies.
