Dr Ch Srinivasa Rao receives 9th Prof M S Swaminathan Award for climate-resilient agriculture

Dr Ch Srinivasa Rao, Director and Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), has been awarded the 9th Prof M S Swaminathan Award for his work on climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable natural-resource management. The presentation took place in Hyderabad on 19 April 2026, with the news widely circulated through current-affairs channels in the days that followed.

The award was instituted in 2004-05 to recognise outstanding contributions to Indian agriculture and is presented every two years. It carries a gold medal, citation and a cash prize. The 9th edition coincides with the birth-centenary celebrations of Prof M S Swaminathan, widely regarded as the father of India's Green Revolution.

Dr Srinivasa Rao is recognised in particular for his work in developing district-level agricultural contingency plans that help farmers cope with localised weather shocks, droughts and unseasonal rainfall. As IARI head, he has also pushed research on climate-smart practices, conservation agriculture, soil-carbon management and integrated farming systems suited to small holdings.

The recognition reflects a wider shift in Indian agricultural policy from the productivity-only frame of the original Green Revolution to a more layered focus on climate adaptation, soil health and sustainable resource use, in line with the Mission for Sustainable Agriculture under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Exam angle: Likely in UPSC, SSC and state PCS GA sections. Remember IARI as the awardee's institution, the link to Prof Swaminathan's birth-centenary, and the policy theme of climate-resilient agriculture and the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.