Dr Surinder Sehgal, founder of S M Sehgal Foundation (India) and Sehgal Foundation (USA), and an agricultural entrepreneur has been awarded the prestigious Dr M S Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture for 2022.
Dr M S Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture
The award is presented annually to an eminent agricultural expert, whose contributions toward creating greater food security and poverty alleviation have made an impact on farmers and national agriculture.
The Dr M S Swaminathan Award was instituted by the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) in 2004 in honour of Dr M S Swaminathan. TAAS is a well-known Think Tank based in the Pusa Campus, New Delhi.
The first recipient was Nobel Laureate Dr Norman E. Borlaug who received it from former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The second recipient was World Food Laureate Dr Gurdev Khush, presented by former Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh. Twelve eminent agricultural leaders have received this award so far.
Dr Surinder Sehgal
Dr Suri Sehgal has been a global leader in the development and spread of the hybrid seed industry worldwide and helped build the Indian seed sector through the establishment of Proagro Group of seed companies (now Bayer) and Hytech Seed India in Hyderabad.
The S M Sehgal Foundation (SMSF) work, under Dr Sehgal’s mentorship, began in just four villages in the Mewat region of Haryana and now reaches more than 4.2 million people in 2,040 villages so far in twelve states of India.
SMSF provides the following facilities:
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Availability, access, and quality of water
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Improved farming practices and farmer income
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Promoted local participation, especially women, in government programs
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Empowered village youth, especially girls, with digital and life skills learning
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Transformed school environments
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Continues to expand its reach to empower rural India.
The event was graced by Dr Soumya Swaminathan, MSSRF chairperson, who joined online to convey the blessings of Dr M S Swaminathan to Dr Sehgal. The citation was read by Dr Gurbachan Singh, TAAS vice chairman and trustee.
The award was presented by the eminent maize breeder, World Food Laureate, and previous recipient of this award, Dr S. K. Vasal, who successfully led the quality protein maize (QPM) breeding program at CIMMYT, Mexico.
In his award acceptance speech, Dr Sehgal shared about the journey he covered as a plant breeder and in social development. “Throughout my entire career in plant science and agriculture business management, I have felt an imperative to address world hunger, create food security, and promote biodiversity—a vision exemplified by Dr M S Swaminathan for whom this award is named,” said Dr Sehgal.
Dr Suri Sehgal also expressed his gratitude to TAAS for conferring this prestigious Dr M S Swaminathan award, and his thanks to all who helped him on his journey from plant scientist to philanthropist. The award ceremony was concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Bhag Mal, TAAS secretary.
