Historical aspect of Green Revolution in India

Why there is an significant urge for green revolution during 1966 not before that?

There were series of events that lead India to start a new path of productivity and saving the millions of hungry stomachs because of which we 17% population of world is able to survive on 2.7% resouces of world under immense pressure.

In 1947 India became an independent nation producing 50.82MT and 357 Million people to feed.Then PM Nehru requested an aid of 2MT to US govt. and  president Truman was in favour but Indian request faced a stiff resistance from senate and this request was revised to take wheat as loan of $190 million not as an aid.

In 1954, Dwight Eisenhower successor to Truman signed Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act or PL480 which became the basis of food assistance by US to other nations.PL480 has allowed food deficient countries to pay for American food imports in their own currencies instead in US dollars.India became both the largest beneficiary and victim of PL480.

Indian rupee depreciated from Rs.3.30 per dollar in 1948 to Rs. 7.50 per dollar in 1966.

During 1965 India imported 10 MT of wheat under PL480.But a new political scenario is waiting to turn this shortage into opportunity for India.

In 1965 India is undergoing war against Pakistan which was directly after 1962 huge loss game played by India against China losing Aksai Chin under the neck of Indian political leaders who were reciting "Hindu Chini Bhai Bhai"- Indians and Chinese are brothers. This was one of the biggest failure of Indian diplomacy in post independence history.Taking the ladder of this attack Pak thought of occupieing J&K but the whole game lead to a different story giving a cherishing lesson for Pak which should be talked separately.

At the same time there was another war against famine and US has unleashed the supply of wheat under PL480 as reaction against a statement given by PM Lal Bahadur Shastri.Ships carrying food for India are diverted back at last minute and hurted self esteem of India.PM Lal Bahadur Shastri inspired the whole nation beginning with himself to go on weekly fasts to save food.Till date many of Indians continue the fast.

In 1966 under Food and Agriculture Minister C. Subramaniam, India took a bold step to import 18,000 tonnes of wheat seeds from Mexico and adapted the seed to Indian conditions under guidance of Dr. N. E. Borlaug.This still remains the largest import of seeds of any cereal crop in the history.

Reference: advantage INDIA, Kalam,APJ and Singh Srijan Pal