Vigyan Ratna award for 11 from state

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10

With a view to encourage the youth to imbibe scientific temperament, the state government has decided to confer Haryana Vigyan Ratna and Haryana Yuva Vigyan Ratna Awards on eminent scientists of the state for their outstanding contribution in the field of science and technology. The awards would be conferred on National Science Day celebrated on February 28. It has also been decided to double the amount of the Haryana Vigyan Ratna Award from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh.

This was stated by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at a function held at the Haryana Raj Bhavan today where the Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki conferred Haryana Vigyan Ratna Award and Haryana Yuva Vigyan Ratna Award for 2012-13 to 2016-17 on 11 eminent scientists of Haryana.

The governor conferred Haryana Vigyan Ratna Award for 2012-13 on Prof KC Bansal, former Director, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR), Pusa, New Delhi for his notable contributions in the field of plant biotechnology.

Similarly, Dr Satish Kumar Gupta, Emeritus Scientist, former Deputy Director, Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, was honoured with Haryana Vigyan Ratna Award for 2013-14 for, among other achievements, producing the first pregnancy detection kit for public use in the country. The scientists were presented with cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, citation, trophy and a shawl, each.

The Governor also conferred Haryana Yuva Vigyan Ratna Award on nine young scientists aged below 40 years, and presented them with cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, citation, trophy and a shawl each. These included Abhineet Kaushik, Deputy General Manager in BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi, and Pradeep Kumar, Scientist-E, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hyderabad, awarded for 2012-13.

For 2013-14, the award was conferred on Dr Deepak Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, and Parveen Kumar, Scientist-E, (DRDO), Delhi. For 2014-15, the award was conferred on Dr Savita Chaudhary, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Dr Abhinav Grover, Assistant Professor, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Dr Sandeep Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Bio and Nano Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, and Dr Vinod Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Maharishi Markendeshwar University, Mullana, Ambala have been awarded for 2015-16.

Dr Anurag Kuhad, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, has been conferred the award for 2016-17.

Expressing concern over the declining interest of youth in science and technology, Science and Technology Minister Anil Vij said the Central and state governments were making concerted efforts to develop scientific temper among the youth and promote the use of science and technology.

Vij targets stone-pelters

Ambala: Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday tweeted that "he feels like shooting those who pelt stones at security forces in Kashmir". Vij wrote, "Whenever somebody pelts stones at security forces in Kashmir, I feel as if stones have been hurled at me. I wish to shoot stone pelters". Meanwhile, the minister got a mixed response to his tweet. While some expressed support, others reminded him about the poor condition of health services in Haryana. TNS