The Bharat Ratna- India’s highest civilian award, was instituted in January 1954. The award is conferred upon individuals in recognition of exceptional service/achievements in any field of human endeavour.

The Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, was instituted in January 1954. The award is conferred upon individuals in recognition of exceptional service/achievements in any field of human endeavour.

Subject : Polity

Section:

From 1954 until May 2022, the Union government has honoured 48 distinguished persons with the Bharat Ratna. Among them, politicians were the dominant recipients with 25 awardees. The remaining recipients included social reformers, musicians, engineers, industrialists, scholars, physicists, sportsperson, etc. However, no agricultural scientist or related expert has received this coveted award so far!

Since independence, India has made tremendous progress in integrated agricultural sector which includes food crops, horticultural crops, plantation crops, oil seed crops, poultry and animal husbandry, fish and other aqua cultures, sericulture and apiculture as also in plant protection, fertilisers, harvesting, food processing, etc. Some of the major path-breaking revolutions in these areas include:

(i) Green Revolution (foodgrains: wheat, rice and other crops) – from 1965;

(ii) Silver Revolution (poultry and eggs) – from 1969;

(iii) Silver Fiber Revolution (cotton crop) – from 1970;

(iv) White Revolution (milk/dairy) – from 1970;

(v) Blue Revolution (fish/aquaculture) – from 1985;

(vi) Golden Revolution (horticulture — fruits, vegetable, flowers; and apiculture – honey production, etc.) — from 1991.

There are also others like Yellow Revolution (oilseeds), Grey Revolution (fertilisers), and Red Revolution (meat production).

Despite these achievements, no agricultural scientist or expert has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna. Prof MS Swaminathan, who is now 97, has been hailed as the ‘Father of Green Revolution in India’ while the late Verghese Kurian was the undisputed ‘Father of White Revolution.’ They were recommended several times in the last 3-4 decades for the Bharat Ratna, but not considered!