NATIONAL: Eminent Agricultural Scientist and the Father of India’s Green Revolution Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (M S Swaminathan) passed away in Chennai at the age of 98 due to age-related ailments on Thursday.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist and former Deputy Director General at the WHO and daughter of MS Swaminathan, says, “…He was not keeping well for the last few days… His end came very peacefully this morning… Till the end, he was committed to the farmers’ welfare and the upliftment of the poorest in society told to ANI.

Born on August 7, 1925, in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, Swaminathan was instrumental in developing high-yielding varieties of paddy that helped ensure India’s low-income farmers produced more yield.

He was known as the “Father of Economic Ecology” by the United Nations Environment Programme. Also, MS Swaminathan is the founder of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).

Swaminathan is survived by his three daughters Soumya Swaminathan, Madhura Swaminathan, and Nitya Swaminathan.

In 1987, Swaminathan was awarded the first World Food Prize in recognition of his monumental contributions.

Swaminathan was also awarded with Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971 and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986.

He had also been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan. He is also the recipient of the H K Firodia Award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize.