Soumya Swaminathan receives Yashwantrao Chavan National Award

Mumbai: Former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, was on Tuesday presented the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award at an event held in Mumbai.

The daughter of the father of the Green Revolution in India M S Swaminathan, received the award, comprising Rs five lakh and a citation, from Sharad Pawar, president of the Mumbai-based Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, which has instituted the honour.

A Chavan centre official said the annual award is given to individuals or organisations that have made significant contribution to national integration, preservation of constitutional values, and advancement of India's social and economic development.

The award selection committee headed by senior nuclear scientist Dr Anil Kakodkar chose Soumya Swaminathan, a paediatrician and clinical researcher renowned for her extensive work on HIV and tuberculosis, for the honour.