Indian-American philanthropist Dr. Surinder Mohan Sehgal, founder of S M Sehgal Foundation (India) and Sehgal Foundation (USA), has been honoured with the Dr. M S Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture for 2022. The award was presented in recognition of his contributions to ensuring food security, alleviating poverty, and making a substantial impact on the farmers and the national agriculture scenario.
Anjali Makhija, chief executive officer of S M Sehgal Foundation received the award on behalf of Dr. Sehgal during the award ceremony held at the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, in Pusa, New Delhi. A documentary on the life journey of Dr. Sehgal was also presented at the award ceremony attended by over 170 individuals.
The ceremony was hosted by the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS), a think tank located at the Pusa Campus in New Delhi, which instituted this award in 2004 in honour of Dr M S Swaminathan, a stalwart of Indian agriculture. It recognizes experts' contributions towards enhancing food security and poverty alleviation which have significantly impacted farmers and national agriculture. Twelve eminent agricultural experts have received the award so far.
Dr. Sehgal, accepting the award, shared his journey and work for social development and said, "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 after whom this award is named.” He also thanked the organisers for conferring the award on him.
Hailing from a Punjabi Family, Dr. Sehgal completed his bachelor's degree in science and masters in botany at Punjab University. He came to the United States in 1959 to study plant genetics and work with Paul C. Mangelsdorf at Harvard University. He received the Anna C. Ames Memorial Scholarship in 1961 and earned his PhD in plant genetics from Harvard in 1963. He completed the Harvard International Senior Management Program in Mont-Pelerin, Switzerland, in 1982.
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