New Delhi: Professor Rohit Srivastava from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), Professor Vivek Polshettiwar from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Dr Roxy Koll from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM-Pune) are some of the scientists who have made it to the list of the first set of recipients of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puruskar, the refurbished science awards that acknowledge exemplary contributions in the field of science, technology and innovation.
ThePrint has seen confirmation letters received by some scientists, and some institutes have also made announcements on social media. This is not the final list of all the awardees; according to a government statement released in January, a maximum of three Vigyan Ratna awards, 25 Vigyan Shri, 25 Vigyan Yuva and three Vigyan Team awards may be announced this year. The official announcement is yet to be made by the ministry, but sources said they would be given out on 23 August by President Droupadi Murmu.
Srivastava has been conferred the Vigyan Shri award — one of four award categories, given for distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology — for 2024. A professor at IIT Bombay’s department of biosciences and bioengineering, he has made a mark in medical diagnostic devices, nanoengineered material and photothermal cancer therapy.
“Super proud of receiving news for the Vigyan Shri Award 2024, which is a pinnacle for any scientist in India. Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India for the honour, and IIT-B for the exosystem for 250+ patents, 300+ publications, 15+ startups, 50+ PhD graduated students, and my entire lab!” Srivastava said on X.
IIT Bombay also confirmed Srivastava’s achievement.
“Congratulations to Prof. Rohit Srivastava for the prestigious ‘Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar – Vigyan Shri’ award instituted by Govt. of India. This is a great honour for the institute,” it said in a statement Wednesday. The awards are presented by the Ministry of Science and Technology
Among recipients of the the Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (for researchers under 45) are Koll — a senior climate scientist at IITM-Pune and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) lead author — and Vivek Polshettiwar from TIFR, who researches on advanced nanomaterials and nanocatalysis, particularly for harvesting solar energy and converting carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals and fuels.
The others who got the same prize are BHU Associate Professor Purabi Saikia, IIT Madras professors Radha Krishna Ganti and Prabhu Rajagopal, and Dr Bappi Paul, assistant professor at the National Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar.
In 2023, the Centre decided to club all individual awards and grants for science and technology under the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar. Under this, there were four award categories — Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva and Vigyan Team.
The Vigyan Ratna aims to recognise lifetime achievements and contributions made in any field of science and technology, while the Vigyan Shri awards distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology. The Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar is conferred to encourage young scientists under the age of 45 years for exceptional contribution in any field of science and technology. The Vigyan Team will to be given to a team comprising three or more scientists, researchers or innovators who have made an exceptional contribution working in a team in any field of science and technology.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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