Narinder Singh Randhawa
Born(1927-03-13)13 March 1927
India
Died26 November 1996(1996-11-26) (aged 69)
Occupation(s)Agricultural scientist
Writer
Years active1967–1996
Known forPlant nutrition
Soil fertility
AwardsPadma Bhushan
Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award
National Citizen Award

Narinder Singh Randhawa (1927–1996) was an Indian agricultural scientist, writer and the director general of the Indian 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 and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1989, for his contributions to agricultural science.[4]

Biography

Randhawa, born on 13 March 1927, secured his doctoral degree (PhD) from the University of California in 1964.[5] Returning to India, he joined the All India Coordinated Project on Micronutrients in Soils and Plants of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research as a national coordinator in 1967 and served the project till 1977. During this period, he also served Punjab 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 the Ministry of Agriculture.[5]

Randhawa was known to have done research in micro-nutrient management of soil and soil fertility and published several books, articles and monographs.[6][7][8] He was a member of the Indian National Science Academy Council (1993–95), the research advisory council of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (1986–90) and the consultative group of the CGIAR 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 the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the vice chair of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad from 1985 to 1990. He delivered several award orations including the inaugural Dr. S. P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture of the Indian Society of Soil Science (1990)[9] and the Professor N.R. Dhar Memorial Lecture of the National Academy of Sciences, India (1993).[10] The Indian Council of Agricultural Research awarded him the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award in 1975 and he received the civilian honor of the Padma Bhushan in 1989.[4] A recipient of the National Citizen Award (1990), he was an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences[11] and the Indian National Science Academy.[5]

Randhawa died on 26 November 1996, at the age of 69.[5] The National 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 of Dr. N. S. Randhawa to Indian Horticulture, published in Punjab Horticultural Journal.[13]

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ Tajamul Haque (1 January 1996). Sustainability of Small Holder Agriculture in India. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 7–. ISBN 978-81-7022-578-2.
  2. ^ Bala Singh Malik (1 January 1997). Farm Women: Their Roles and Training Needs. Discovery Publishing House. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-81-7141-391-1.
  3. ^ "Presidents". Indian Society of Soil Science. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Deceased Fellow". Indian National Science Academy. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. ^ "editor chief". Google Scholar. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  7. ^ Mohinder Mudahar (17 April 2013). Fertilizer sulfur and food production. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 235–. ISBN 978-94-017-1540-9.
  8. ^ Domy C. Adriano (19 March 2013). Trace Elements in Terrestrial Environments: Biogeochemistry, Bioavailability, and Risks of Metals. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-0-387-21510-5.
  9. ^ "Professor J.N. Mukherjee – ISSS Foundation Lecture". Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Professor N.R. Dhar Memorial Lecture". National Academy of Sciences, India. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  11. ^ "NAAS Fellow". National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  12. ^ "Dr. N.S.Randhawa Award". International Center for Scientific Research. 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  13. ^ K. K. Singh (2013). "Dr. N. S. Randhawa to Indian Horticulture". Punjab Horticultural Journal. ISSN 0033-4324.

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