By Jayantha Das – India
AITUC pays homage to the architect of India’s green revolution
All India Trade Union Congress pays its rich tributes to the eminent agricultural scientist Dr M S Swaminathan. AITUC sends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the thousands of families under the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation who have lost their ‘Professor’, the scientist community for the loss of a great innovator and to the nation for having lost a colossus of a humanist scientist.
“Father of India’s agriculture”, Dr M S Swaminathan has done yeoman services in providing a vision to Indian agriculture. He steered India out of the famine in the 1960s, crusaded conservation and advocated agriculture focused on resource-poor farmers. Dr M S Swaminathan’s ‘lab to land’ research led to self-sufficiency through the green revolution and rescued India from the ‘ship to mouth’ programme during the years of famine, when India was dependent on US for grains. It was a time when India ‘swallowed with humiliation’ the wheat from PL 480 programme of the United States of America. This visionary administrator not only redeemed the honour but also restored its pride as an exporter of grains.
AITUC salutes Dr M S Swaminathan’s unwavering dedication to agriculture and farming. He championed the farmers’ cause, advocated for fair prices and access to technology. It is he who gave the formula MSP=C2+50% as a path to combat the agrarian crisis and the farmers suicides. Committed to working among the agricultural landscape, Dr Swaminathan had always upheld social justice and economic inclusiveness. His work is testament to his commitment to humanity as a whole. The scientific aura of M S Swaminathan has gripped around the global community of agricultural and seed scientists. He adds to the pride and honour to the nation through his globally acclaimed contribution.
