Narinder Singh Randhawa | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1927-03-13)13 March 1927 India |
| Died | 26 November 1996(1996-11-26) (aged 69) |
| Occupation(s) | Agricultural scientist Writer |
| Years active | 1967–1996 |
| Known for | Plant nutrition Soil fertility |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award National Citizen Award |
Narinder Singh Randhawa (1927–1996) was an Indian agricultural scientist, writer and the director general of theIndian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).[1][2] He was the president of the Indian Society of Soil Science during 1980–81 term[3] and was a recipient of National Citizen Award andRafi Ahmed Kidwai Award of theIndian Council of Agricultural Research. In 1989, theGovernment of India awarded him the country's third highest civilian honour, thePadma Bhushan, for his contributions to agricultural science.[4]
Randhawa, born on 13 March 1927, secured his doctoral degree (PhD) from theUniversity of California in 1964.[5] Returning to India, he joined theAll India Coordinated Project on Micronutrients in Soils and Plants of theIndian Council of Agricultural Research as a national coordinator in 1967 and served the project till 1977. During this period, he also servedPunjab Agricultural University as a professor at the Department of Soils and stayed at the university till 1979, holding positions such as that of a senior professor, head of the department, dean of the College of Agriculture, and the director of research. In 1979, he returned to ICAR as the deputy director general and continued there till his superannuation in 1985 as the director general. In between, he also had a short stint as a government secretary at the Department of Agricultural Research and Education of theMinistry of Agriculture.[5]
Randhawa was known to have done research in micro-nutrient management of soil andsoil fertility and published several books, articles and monographs.[6][7][8] He was a member of theIndian National Science Academy Council (1993–95), the research advisory council of theAustralian Centre for International Agricultural Research (1986–90) and the consultative group of theCGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Center (1985–90). He presided two science organizations, Indian Society of Soil Sciences and Indian Society of Plant Nutrition and was the vice president of theNational Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the vice chair of theInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad from 1985 to 1990. He delivered several award orations including the inauguralDr. S. P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture of the Indian Society of Soil Science (1990)[9] and theProfessor N.R. Dhar Memorial Lecture of theNational Academy of Sciences, India (1993).[10] The Indian Council of Agricultural Research awarded him theRafi Ahmed Kidwai Award in 1975 and he received the civilian honor of thePadma Bhushan in 1989.[4] A recipient of the National Citizen Award (1990), he was an elected Fellow of theNational Academy of Agricultural Sciences[11] and theIndian National Science Academy.[5]
Randhawa died on 26 November 1996, at the age of 69.[5] TheNational Academy of Agricultural Sciences have instituted an annual award,Dr. N.S.Randhawa Award, in his honor.[12] His contributions have been compiled in an article, Contributions ofDr. N. S. Randhawa to Indian Horticulture, published in Punjab Horticultural Journal.[13]
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