Khem Singh Gill Biography 
Khem Singh Gill is a geneticist and plant breeder from Punjab, who made some significant contributions towards green revolution in India. As a plant breeder he breaded new strains of wheat, linseed, and sesame. He formerly served as Vice-Chancellor of the Punjab Agricultural University. He currently serves as the Vice-President of The Kalgidhar Trust and The Kalgidhar Society. He is a founding fellow of The World Academy of Sciences and a recipient of numerous honours related to the field of science. He received Padma Bhushan in 1992, Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Memorial Prize, FICCI Award, ICAR Golden Jubilee Award and Silver Jubilee Award of the Indian Society of Oilseeds Research for his contributions to science.
Khem Singh Gill was born in 1930 in undivided Punjab. He hails from Kaleke, Moga District, Punjab. He graduated in Agricultural Science from Khalsa College, Amritsar in 1949 and completed master's degree from Punjab University in 1951. After studies he joined Department of Agriculture, Government of Punjab as a Research Assistant. He later became Assistant Oilseed Breeder at Punjab Agricultural University, but took a break to do his doctoral studies at the University of California. Once returned he joined Punjab Agricultural University as a professor and the head of the Department of Genetics.
After two years he became professor and the head of the Department of Plant Breeding. He later held many administrative posts and finally became Vice Chancellor of PAU in 1990. He remained in this position for next three years. Gill founded the Crop Improvement Society of India in 1974. He worked with Norman Borlaug in the 1960s to develop new varieties of wheat. He also improved many wheat varieties during this period. He published several research papers and also one book titled - Research on wheat and triticale in the Punjab.
Published: February 27, 2019
Updated: February 27, 2019
