HYDERABAD: Dr P M Bhargava, eminent scientist and founder-director of the city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), died here on Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 89 and is survived by two children.

Pushpa Mittra Bhargava was born on February 22, 1928. He was a pioneer in the field of biotechnology in India and among the first persons to use the term "genetic engineering". Bhargava was instrumental in the formation of the Department of Biotechnology in the '70s. He was also chairman of Medically Aware and Responsible Citizens of Hyderabad, Sambhavna Trust, Bhopal, and Basic Research, Education and Development Society (BREAD), New Delhi. He served as vice-chairman of the National Knowledge Commission between 2005 and 2007.

Bhargava received over 100 national and international honours and awards. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1986 but returned it in 2015 citing "matters of principle". He was honoured with the Legion d'honneur in 1998. He is popularly known as the architect of modern biology in India.

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Dr Pushpa Mitra Bhargava, pioneer in biotechnology, passes away at 89 - Times of India