India Will Not Allow Hunger and Deprivation if We Walk On Swaminathan’s Path: Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
07 August 2025, New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference at the ICAR-PUSA campus in New Delhi. The event was chaired by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Speaking at the inauguration, Chouhan paid tribute to M.S. Swaminathan’s legacy and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to agricultural transformation. “To live for others is the true meaning of life. Swaminathan dedicated himself fully to farmers, science, and society. If we continue on his path, we can eliminate hunger and deprivation not just in India, but globally,” he said.
Chouhan recalled how the Bengal famine of 1942-43 deeply affected Swaminathan and motivated him to devote his life to combating hunger through agricultural science. “In 1966, when 18,000 tonnes of Mexican wheat arrived in India, Swaminathan worked to develop a hybrid variety by blending it with Punjab’s local strains. This led to wheat production soaring from 5 million tonnes to 17 million tonnes in just one year — a key milestone of the Green Revolution,” he added.
Highlighting Prime Minister Modi’s role in driving scientific innovation in agriculture, Chouhan said, “Last year, the Prime Minister visited this very campus and gave us a clear direction — connect the lab to the land. Unless science and farmers work together, agriculture cannot move forward. Inspired by his vision, we’ve launched multiple initiatives, including Krishi Chaupal and the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan.”
As part of this initiative, 2,170 teams of scientists visited over 64,000 villages and engaged directly with more than 10 million farmers across India.
Chouhan noted that the country’s foodgrain situation has significantly improved. “India is surplus in rice, self-sufficient in wheat, and is actively strengthening its grain storage infrastructure. Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, free food is being provided to 800 million people,” he said.
He emphasized the government’s focused efforts to boost per-hectare productivity of key pulses and oilseeds like soybean, groundnut, mustard, sesame, chickpea, lentil, urad, and pigeon pea.
Chouhan also highlighted the launch of the Natural Farming Mission aimed at long-term sustainability. “To ensure that future generations continue to receive safe and nutritious produce from our land, we are taking a scientific and systematic approach under this mission,” he said.
The three-day conference, held from August 7 to 9, 2025, commemorates the birth centenary of M.S. Swaminathan — a global leader in agricultural science and food security. It is jointly organized by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The conference theme, “Evergreen Revolution – The Path to Bio-Happiness,” reflects Swaminathan’s enduring vision for sustainable and inclusive agricultural growth. Chouhan also visited a dedicated exhibition on Swaminathan’s life and contributions, which was set up as part of the event.
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