Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, New Delhi, Rayappa Ramappa Hanchinal, has been chosen for the sixth Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award of retired Indian Council for Agricultural Research Employees’ Association and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited.
The sealed cover with Dr. Hanchinal’s name was opened by former chairman and managing director of National Seed Corporation and managing director of National Warehousing Corporation B.B. Patnaik, in the presence of representatives of the association and Nuziveedu Seeds at a press conference here on Saturday.
Award conferred biennially
The Swaminathan award, conferred biennially on eminent Indian scientists who worked on Indian agriculture and allied sectors, carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a medal and citation.
Dr. Hanchinal had earlier served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences at Dharwad in Karnataka and has been associated with the Government of Indonesia as an advisor for development of field crop research and instrumental in organising commercial seed industry in West Africa while serving as seed production specialist for USAID and ICRISAT, a press statement issued by the RICAREA said.
21 nominations
President of the association M. V. R. Prasad said there were 21 nominations for the award which were scrutinised by a selection committee of six members.
