As a mark of respect for agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan who passed away recently, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin announced that the Agricultural College and Research Institute (AC & RI), Eachangkottai in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, will be named after the late scholar. 

The chief minister also said the UG student who secures the highest marks in plant breeding and genetics offered by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will be given the award in the name of Swaminathan every year. Leaders of all political parties welcomed the government's gesture and hailed the contributions of Swaminathan.

Recalling the late scholar's association with former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi decades ago, Stalin said the advice given by Swaminathan enhanced food production in Tamil Nadu. He said now climate change has become a big problem, and Swaminathan had raised an alarm about the issue in 1969 at a science congress.

Indian agronomist and agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, who is also known as the Father of the Green Revolution, passed away on September 28, 2023. He was born in Kumbakonam and has contributed greatly towards advancing our knowledge in agriculture. He was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987. He was nominated to the Parliament of India.