AdolphMassola0 at 23:10, 24 September 2025

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{{short description|Indian agricultural scientist (1928–2016)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mangina Venkateswara Rao
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| native_name = మంగిన వెంకటేశ్వరరావు
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|6|21|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Perupalem, [[West Godavari District]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|3|8|1928|6|21|df=yes}}
| death_place = Hyderabad
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = Agricultural scientist Geneticist Plant breeder
| yearsactive = Since 1956
| known for = [[Green revolution in India]]
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| children =
| parents =
| website =
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] [[Borlaug Award|Norman Borlaug Award]] Linker's Award Peddireddy Thimma Reddy Award Dr. [[P. Siva Reddy]] Foundation Award Dr. Srikantia Memorial Award Environmental Research Academy Gold Medal Krishi Shiromani Samman Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award Sivananda Eminent Citizen Award
}}
'''Mangina Venkateswara Rao''' (21 June 1928 – 8 March 2016) was an Indian [[Agriculturist|agricultural scientist]], [[Plant breeding|plant breeder]], and [[geneticist]] who was considered as one of the key figures in [[Green Revolution in India|India’s Green Revolution]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=10 March 2016 |title=M.V. Rao, former IRRI Board member, passes away |url=http://news.irri.org/2016/03/mv-rao-former-irri-board-member-passes.html |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=[[International Rice Research Institute]]}}</ref> He was instrumental in increasing the productivity of wheat and oil seeds in India.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2016-03-11 |title=Dr M V Rao An eminent scientist & visionary |url=https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/News-Analysis/2016-03-11/Dr-M-V-Rao-An-eminent-scientist-visionary/212828 |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=[[The Hans India]] |language=en}}</ref> He served as the Vice Chancellor of the [[Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University]], Deputy Director of the [[Indian Council of Agricultural Research]] (ICAR), and vice president of the [[National Academy of Agricultural Sciences]].<ref name="Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award 2011">{{cite web | url=http://www.mahindraagri.com/agriawards2011.aspx | title=Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award 2011 | publisher=Samriddhi Mahindra | date=2015 | access-date=29 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305050426/http://www.mahindraagri.com/agriawards2011.aspx | archive-date=5 March 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> He received the [[Borlaug Award]] in 1993 and the [[Padma Shri]], India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 1999.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-03-09 |title=Noted agriculture scientist MV Rao passes away |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/noted-agriculture-scientist-mv-rao-passes-away/article8331680.ece |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=[[Business Line]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Biography ==
Rao was born on 21 June 1928 in a [[Kapu (caste)|Kapu]] family<ref name=":5">M. L. Kantha Rao (July 1999), [https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/25437/ ''A Study of the Socio-Political Mobility of the Kapu Caste in Modern Andhra'']. [[University of Hyderabad]]. Chapter 6. pp. 265–268. hdl:10603/25437</ref> at Perupalem in [[West Godavari district]], [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref name="Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award 2011" /> After securing a master's degree, he continued his research at [[Purdue University]] in [[plant breeding]], [[genetics]] and [[plant pathology]] to obtain a doctoral degree.<ref name=":0" />

After joining the [[Indian Council of Agricultural Research]] (ICAR) as assistant wheat breeder in 1956, he was initially involved with wheat research and became an assistant professor in 1958.<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993">{{cite web |date=2015 |title=NAAS Elected Fellow 1993 |url=http://naasindia.org/fdetail.html#R033 |access-date=30 October 2015 |publisher=[[National Academy of Agricultural Sciences]]}}</ref> In 1966, he was promoted as the geneticist and then as senior geneticist,<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993" /> eventually becoming the coordinator in 1971 and the head of the All India Wheat Improvement Project of ICAR in 1978, a post he held till 1981.{{cn|date=February 2020}} During this period, he was associated with the [[Green Revolution in India]], related to wheat production. He became the deputy director general (crop sciences) of ICAR in 1981 and stayed in the position till he was appointed as the founder director of the Prime Minister's Technology Mission on Oilseeds, in 1986, a position which holds the rank of a special secretary. It was during this period that the ''Yellow Revolution'', an integrated programme for the development of [[oilseeds]], was initiated and fostered by the government.<ref name="What is the Yellow Revolution?">{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/What-is-the-Yellow-Revolution/articleshow/5963764.cms | title=What is the Yellow Revolution? | work=The Hindu | date=23 May 2010 | access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref>

In 1989, he was invited to the [[World Bank]] as an agriculture expert, where he worked till 1990. The next year, he joined [[Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University]] as its vice chancellor and remained there till 1997.<ref name="Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award 2011" /> While holding the vice-chancellorship, he became associated with Agri Biotech Foundation (ABF - formerly known as Andhra Pradesh Netherlands Biotechnology Programme) as its chairman in 1995 and remained active there.<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993" /> Under his stewardship, the institute has developed several [[genetically modified]] seed varieties of [[cotton]], [[sorghum]], [[Castor oil|castor]] and [[red gram]].<ref name="More GM seeds to hit market soon">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2002/03/26/stories/2002032600271100.htm | title=More GM seeds to hit market soon | work=The Hindu | date=26 March 2002 | access-date=31 October 2015}}</ref>

Rao was a former vice president of the [[National Academy of Agricultural Sciences]] (2000–2003)<ref name="NAAS Fellows list">{{cite web|url=http://naasindia.org/fellowships.html |title=NAAS Fellows list |publisher=National Academy of Agricultural Sciences |date=2015 |access-date=30 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127230718/http://naasindia.org/fellowships.html |archive-date=27 January 2015 }}</ref> and was associated with several Indian state and central government agencies; chairing the Committee of the New National Seed Policy was one such assignment.<ref name="ABF profile">{{cite web | url=http://www.abfindia.org/PeopleECMMVRao.aspx | title=ABF profile | publisher=Agri Biotech Foundation | date=2015 | access-date=30 October 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019142132/http://www.abfindia.org/PeopleECMMVRao.aspx | archive-date=19 October 2015 }}</ref> He was a member of the task group which prepared guidelines for the formulation of the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP), a World Bank project for the agricultural development in Bangladesh,<ref name="National Agricultural Technology Project">{{cite web | url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/loans-credits/2008/02/07/bangladesh-national-agricultural-technology-project | title=National Agricultural Technology Project | publisher=World Bank | date=2015 | access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref> and sat on the NATP Scientific Advisory Panel on Coastal Eco System.<ref name="Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award 2011" /> He was a former member of the board of directors of the [[International Rice Research Institute]] (IRRI), India, sitting on the board from 1984 to 1989.<ref name="Indians on the IRRI Board">{{cite web | url=http://india.irri.org/indians-serves-irri-board | title=Indians on the IRRI Board | publisher=International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) | date=2015 | access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref> He has been a member of the Wheat Advisory Committee of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO), a trustee of the [[International Rice Research Institute]], Philippines and a member of the External Expert Panel of the [[International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center]] (CIMMYT), Mexico.<ref name="ABF profile" /> He was a member of the board of the Intercultural Cooperation Foundation India (ICF) along with [[Arcot Ramachandran]], a renowned Indian anthropologist.<ref name="ICF Board Members">{{cite web | url=http://www.hati.ch/AboutUs/IcfIndia/index_html0?lang=en;ni=0;s=0 | title=ICF Board Members | publisher=Intercultural Cooperation Foundation | date=2015 | access-date=30 October 2015 | archive-date=10 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310134018/http://www.hati.ch/AboutUs/IcfIndia/index_html0?lang=en;ni=0;s=0 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Besides his contributions to the [[Green Revolution in India|Green]] and Yellow revolutions in India, he has also mentored over 25 research scholars during his stint at the [[International Rice Research Institute]].<ref name="ABF profile" /> He died at the age of 87 on March 8, 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=Farm scientist M.V. Rao passes away|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/farm-scientist-mv-rao-passes-away/article8333275.ece|work=The Hindu|date=9 March 2016 |access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref>

== Awards and honours ==
Rao was involved in testing and identifying the best varieties of wheat from Mexico that were then grown in the country.<ref name=":1" /> Rao is a recipient of the [[Borlaug Award|Norman Borlaug Award]] and the Linker's Award.<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993" /> The [[Government of India]] honoured him with India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the [[Padma Shri]], in 1999.<ref name="Padma Awards" /> He received the Lifetime Achievement Award of ''Agricultural Today'' in 2010.<ref name="Agriculture Today Award">{{cite web | url=http://agriculturetoday.in/pastawardees.html | title=Agriculture Today Award | publisher=Agriculture Today | date=2015 | access-date=31 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024133614/http://agriculturetoday.in/pastawardees.html | archive-date=24 October 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The next year, he was awarded the ''Krishi Shiromani Samman'' by the [[Mahindra Group|Mahindra]] Samriddhi India.<ref name="Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award 2011" /> He is also a recipient of ''Outstanding Agricultural Scientist Award'' from the Government of Andhra Pradesh and other awards such as Peddireddy Thimmareddy Award, Dr. Srikantia Memorial Award of the Nutrition Society of India, Dr P. Siva Reddy Foundation Award, and Environmental Research Academy Award.<ref name="ABF profile" />

Rao was an elected fellow of the [[National Academy of Agricultural Sciences]] (NAAS).<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993" /> [[Purdue University]], [[Indian Agricultural Research Institute]] and [[Banaras Hindu University]] have honoured him with the degree of the Doctor of Science (DSc - Honoris causa).<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993" /> He was an honorary fellow of the Indian Oilseeds Research Society, Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences, Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding and Indian Society of Agricultural Sciences and served as the president of all these institutions during various periods.<ref name="NAAS Elected Fellow 1993" />

== See also ==
* [[Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University]]
* [[Indian Council of Agricultural Research]]
{{portal|India|Agriculture}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{1900s Padma Shri Award Recipients in Science & Engineering}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, M. V.}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering]]
[[Category:People from West Godavari district]]
[[Category:Scientists from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:Indian biotechnologists]]
[[Category:Indian geneticists]]
[[Category:Indian Council of Agricultural Research]]
[[Category:World Bank people]]
[[Category:Heads of universities and colleges in India]]
[[Category:Purdue University College of Agriculture alumni]]
[[Category:Food and Agriculture Organization officials]]
[[Category:Fellows of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian botanists]]
[[Category:Indian officials of the United Nations]]

M. V. Rao - Revision history

AdolphMassola0 at 23:10, 24 September 2025