How was India benefitted from the contributions of Sir M.Visvesvaraya and Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in the fields of water engineering and agricultural science respectively?

Sir M.Visvesvaraya and Dr M. S. Swaminathan are the two jewels of the Indian research field who have contributed immensely for the fields of water engineering and agricultural science respectively.

Sir M.Visvesvaraya and Water Engineering

• Sir M.Visvesvaraya was the creator automatic sluice gates which were later reused for Tigra Dam (in Madhya Pradesh) and KRS Dam(in Karnataka). The automatic sluice gate design was a patented design and he was eligible for a recurring income in the form of royalty but he refused it so that the government could use this money for more developmental projects.
• Sir M.Visvesvaraya introduced a block system of irrigation and water weir flood gates in the Bombay Presidency.
• Sir M.Visvesvaraya supervised the construction of KRS dam in the erstwhile Mysore state which was the then Asia’s biggest dam.
• Sir M.Visvesvaraya came up with an efficient way of filtering water through ‘Collector Wells in 1895 which was rarely seen anywhere in the world.

Dr M. S. Swaminathan and Agricultural Science

• M. S. Swaminathan was the head of the National Farmers Commissions. His recommendations which were based on sound scientific principles serve as a guiding light for various farm concerns even today.
• M. S. Swaminathan is regarded as the father of the green revolution. His integration of modern farming technique with traditional agricultural methods made India self-sufficient in food grains.
• He is an advocate of sustainable agricultural methods and is stressing the need for an evergreen revolution in which productivity is improved without ecological harm.

When one charts the course of Indian Agriculture two names Sir M.Visvesvaraya and Dr M. S. Swaminathan will stand out for the immense contribution made for strengthening the sector.