India News | Rajya Sabha Mourns Deaths of Swaminathan, Gill

New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) The Rajya Sabha on Monday mourned the deaths of former chief election commissioner MS Gill, MS Swaminathan -- the father of the green revolution -- and three other ex-MPs on the opening day of the Winter session of Parliament.

Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar mentioned the passing of Swaminathan, Gill, Lalitbhai Mehta, Basanti Sarma and DB Chandre Gowda.

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Swaminathan died on September 28.

A plant geneticist by education, he laid a firm foundation for agricultural renaissance in India in the 1960s.

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"His enormous contributions helped India to rise from a drought-stricken food importing country to being declared self-sufficient in food production in 1971," Dhankhar said.

Praising Swaminathan, the father of the green revolution, Dhankhar said his contributions towards mainstreaming gender considerations in agriculture and rural development will be remembered.

"In the passing away of Prof MS Swaminathan, the country has lost a true visionary, a ground-breaking agricultural scientist and an able parliamentarian," he added.

Gill, a former bureaucrat who represented Punjab in the Upper House for two terms between 2004 and 2016, died on October 15.

"Gill, an outstanding administrator, also served as the chief election commissioner from 1996 to 2001 and it was during his tenure that Electronic Voting Machines were successfully introduced in Indian elections," the Rajya Sabha chairman said.

"In the passing away of Dr MS Gill, the country has lost a capable administrator, a prolific writer and an illustrious parliamentarian," he added.

The vice-president also lauded the legacy of Chandre Gowda, describing him as an adept administrator and distinguished parliamentarian. Chandre Gowda, an MP from April 1986 to December 1989, died on November 7.

Mehta, who represented Gujarat in the Upper House from 1999 to 2005, passed away on July 8.

Paying tribute to Mehta, the Rajya Sabha chairman highlighted his role as a distinguished educationist, devoted social worker and a proficient parliamentarian.

Sarma, who was a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms beginning 1991 and was a leading voice of women empowerment from the northeast, died on September 8.

"In the passing away of Shrimati Basanti Sarma, we have lost a staunch advocate of women upliftment, champion of the rights of children and a model parliamentarian," he said.

The MPs stood in their places and observed silence as a mark of respect to honour the memory of the deceased. PTI

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)