University of Hyderabad VC honoured at science meet

University of Hyderabad (UoH) Vice-Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile was today conferred the prestigious 'Millennium Plaques Honour' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recognition of his "key" role in development of science and technology.

'Millennium Plaques Honour' has been instituted by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA). The award was presented to Podile at the 104th annual meeting of ISCA which was inaugurated by Modi at Tirupati.

However, a group of students of the varsity, which has been demanding Podile's removal from the post of VC and his arrest in the suicide case of research scholar Rohit Vemula in UoH premises, criticised the decision to bestow the award on the Vice-Chancellor.
 

According to a release from UoH, ISCA appreciated Podile's "key" role in development of science and technology. He has been an institution builder and shaped the way the science and technology should develop in future.

Podile has been a member of the task force on 'bioagents for agriculture', set up by the Department of Biotechnology, and a member of the programme advisory committee on 'plant sciences', set up by the Department of Science and Technology.

The committee has been using an innovative approach to synthesise biological molecules that can help inducing innate immunity in plants, it said.

"His group has exploited the potential of plant- associated bacteria for better plant health. Their ability to degrade second most abundant polymer, like chitin, was used to protect crop plants from a variety of diseases.

"The efforts made in Prof Appa Rao's lab not only have implication in understanding plant's response to external stimuli, but also provide new leads to develop non-chemical approaches for plant protection," according to the release.

Meanwhile, the students of UoH, in a release, reiterated their demand that Podile step down from his post. "His presence has disrupted the academic activities of the university," the release said.

Vemula's suicide on January 17 at the UoH, also known as Hyderabad Central University, had sparked massive protests on the campus and also across the country.