Chidambaram Subramaniam was a popular politician and freedom fighter. His contribution is considered important in making India self-sufficient in food production. He is also known as ‘the architect of Green Revolution’. He had held the responsibility of important ministries like Finance, Agriculture, Defense and Food at the Centre.
Chidambaram Subramaniam was born on January 30, 1910 in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. After his early education he moved to Chennai. There he did his B.Sc from Presidency College. He later studied law from Madras Law College. During his college days, he founded an organization called ‘Vana Malar Sangam’ along with some of his friends. Later on he started publishing a magazine named ‘Pithan’.
Chidambaram Subramaniam, known as the ‘Green Revolution’s architect’, served as the Food and Agriculture Minister of India, along with MS Swaminathan, B. Sivaraman and Norman E. Together with Borlaug, started the ‘Green Revolution’ in India.
Foundation laid for India’s modern agricultural development policy
In the 60s and 70s the country was going through a severe food crisis and this was being compensated by imports from other countries. When Chidambaram Subramaniam was the country’s food and agriculture minister, he encouraged farmers to take up farming based on the scientific method. This is the reason that due to the ‘Green Revolution’ in 1972, there was a record increase in the production of food grains and India became self-sufficient in agricultural products to a great extent.
It is important to mention here that when the ‘White Revolution’ started to increase milk production in India, then the Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board was also made by Chidambaram Subramaniam. Verghese Kurien once wrote about him, “The role that Chidambaram played in this whole case (Operation Flood) is not mentioned much.”
Due to the policy decisions of Chidambaram Subramaniam in the agriculture and food sector, there were big positive changes in the situation of the country. He also founded the National Agro Foundation (Chennai) and Bharathidasan Institute of Management (Tiruchirappalli).
many big responsibilities
- When Chidambaram was studying in Subramaniam College, almost the whole country was influenced by the freedom movement. During that period, Chidambaram also took an active part in the civil disobedience movement. He also joined the ‘Quit India Movement’ of 1942 and went to jail. Later he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly and also played an important role in framing the Constitution of India.
- He was the Minister of Education, Law and Finance in Tamil Nadu from 1952 to 1962 under the leadership of Rajaji and K. Kamaraj.
- Chidambaram Subramaniam was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962 and was made Minister of Steel and Mining at the Centre. Thereafter, he was made the Minister of Food and Agriculture in the Central Government. From 2 May 1971 to 22 July 1972, he took over as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.
- When the Congress split in 1969, Chidambaram Subramaniam supported Indira Gandhi and was made the President of the Congress of Indira Gandhi’s faction. He was later made the Finance Minister in the Indira Gandhi government.
- In 1979, Chidambaram Subramaniam was made the Defense Minister of India in the Chaudhary Charan Singh government. He was also made the Governor of Maharashtra in 1990.
Honours and awards
- Chidambaram Subramaniam was awarded the country’s highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1998. In 1988, he was given the ‘Anuvrat Puraskar’. In 1996, he was awarded the ‘U.Thant Peace Prize’. In the same year he received the ‘Norman E. Borlaug Prize’ was also given.
- Posthumously in August 2010, the Government of India also issued a coin in his honor.
This politician, who made India self-reliant in food production, breathed his last in Chennai on 7 November 2000. The Better India Salute to this great leader of India.
Featured Image: TNN
Editing – G.N.J
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