Name the veteran Indian agriculture scientist who received the first World Agriculture Prize in 2018 for his outstanding contributions to food security and the Green Revolution.

Introduction / Context:
The World Agriculture Prize was instituted to honour individuals who have made exceptional contributions to agriculture and food security. In 2018, the first edition of this global award went to an Indian scientist whose work is closely linked with the Green Revolution. This question tests your knowledge of prominent Indian agricultural scientists and their recognition at international level.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The award mentioned is the first World Agriculture Prize, in the year 2018.
• The recipient is described as a veteran Indian agriculture scientist.
• Among the options, one name is strongly associated with India’s Green Revolution.
• The task is to pick the scientist who actually received this first prize.

Concept / Approach:
When dealing with awards and honours, the main approach is recall based on regular reading of current affairs. M S Swaminathan is widely known as the architect of India’s Green Revolution, which greatly increased food grain production through high yielding varieties and improved practices. Because of his huge impact on global food security, he was chosen as the first recipient of the World Agriculture Prize in 2018. Therefore, you should quickly connect the prize with his name. The other options are either less known or are unrelated to this particular award.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question refers to the year 2018 and the first edition of a major agriculture prize.Step 2: Recall that the World Agriculture Prize is associated with global recognition of contributions to agriculture and food security.Step 3: Remember that Prof M S Swaminathan is internationally famous for leading the Green Revolution in India, which clearly fits the description.Step 4: Examine other options and note that they do not carry the same world famous profile in agriculture.Step 5: Select Prof M S Swaminathan as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can check standard current affairs compilations for 2018, where you will see entries stating that the World Agriculture Prize was launched by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture and that its first recipient was Prof M S Swaminathan. His long list of national and international honours makes him an obvious choice for such a prize. No credible source attributes this specific award to the other names listed in the options.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Dr Deepak Kumar and Prof Rakesh Agnihotri are not recorded as recipients of the World Agriculture Prize in 2018.None of the above is incorrect because there is a specific, well known winner.Dr Verghese Kurien is an iconic figure in dairy development and Operation Flood, but he passed away in 2012, well before the 2018 prize and he is not the correct answer here.

Common Pitfalls:
One pitfall is mixing up agriculture and dairy sector contributions and confusing Swaminathan with Kurien. Another is assuming that a relatively unfamiliar name might have been chosen for a new prize. When in doubt, remember that the first edition of a prestigious award usually goes to a widely recognised leader in the field, which in Indian agriculture clearly points to M S Swaminathan.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Prof M S Swaminathan.