Chennai, 28th September 2025: The 31st edition of Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Environmental Protection, instituted by the Rotary Club of Madras East (RCME) in the name of its Honorary Member and India’s most acclaimed Agricultural Scientist, Late. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan was held at GRT Grand, T Nagar, Chennai.
The Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award is presented to either an individual, a company, or an NGO that has contributed, either directly or indirectly, to enhancing environmental protection and awareness, in any part of the world.
The 31st edition of the prestigious award was presented to:
- Sahaja Samrudha, from Mysuru, a people’s movement to preserve India’s traditional farming practices and conserve the rich biodiversity of indigenous crop varieties; and
- Mr. Veerappan, a 60-year-old Irular fisherman from Kalaignar Nagar Village, situated in the Pichavaram Mangrove Forest region of Tamil NaduÂ
for their outstanding contributions in the field of environmental protection.
Mr. Satyakam Arya, Managing Director and CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), presented the awards, and the awardees were felicitated by Rtn. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.
The event was presided over by Rtn. Balaji Sreenivasan, President, Rotary Club of Madras East (RCME), District Governor 3234 Rtn. Vinod Saraogi, and Rtn. C.K. Ranganathan.
Now in its 31st edition, this RCME initiative to recognise and encourage environmental protection continues to be powered by the unwavering support of CavinKare Pvt. Ltd.

