Chandigarh: Renowned agriculture scientist, who played a great role in the Green Revolution, and Padma Bhushan awardee Gurcharan Singh Kalkat, died on Saturday morning at the PGI, Chandigarh, at the age of 91. He was in hospital because of some abdominal ailment.Kalkat was appointed as the first chairman of the Punjab State Farmers Commission (PSFC) and remained director of the Punjab agriculture department and also served as vice-chancellor of the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He also worked as a senior agriculturist with the World Bank. He is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters.Prof P S Rangi, agriculture expert and former consultant with the PSFC, who knew Kalkat since 1973, remembered him as an honest and upright person. "He played a pivotal role in the Green Revolution. He worked in close association with the father of Green Revolution M S Swaminathan," said Rangi. He was bestowed with Padma Shri in 1981 and Padma Bhushan in March 2007. Kalkat was awarded degree of doctor of science (honoris causa) both by PAU, Ludhiana, in 2013 and Punjabi University, Patiala, in 2014.He was born at Sahora village in Hoshiarpur on June 17, 1926. He did his schooling in Montgomery (Sahiwal) district (now in Pakistan) and his BSc (agriculture) from Punjab Agriculture College, Lyallpur (now in Pakistan) in 1947. He completed his PhD in agricultural zoology entomology in 1958 from Ohio State University in the USA.Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman Kahan Singh Pannu worked with Kalkat when he was appointed chairman of the PSFC in 2006. "I was member secretary of the commission at that time and in fact, I had proposed Kalkat's name for the appointment of chairman. He was the harbinger of Green Revolution in Punjab when he was director of the agriculture department," remembered Pannu. He added that even in his 90s, Kalkat was mentally agile.Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has condoled the death of eminent agricultural scientist Gurcharan Singh Kalkat who passed away at PGIMER, Chandigarh, on Saturday after a brief illness.The CM said Kalkat was a pioneer in bringing several exemplary reforms in the field of agriculture besides unleashing the green revolution in the state. He recalled Kalkat's immense contribution to ensure overall development and phenomenal growth in the agriculture sector.Recalling his outstanding services, Amarinder said that Kalkat worked tirelessly throughout his life for the welfare and prosperity of the farmers, besides introducing new farm practices to enhance the agriculture production, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

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