The Hindu : French award conferred on scientist

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 02, 2004

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French award conferred on scientist

By Our Staff Reporter

The French Ambassador, Dominique Girard, conferring the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur on P.G.S. Mony, director of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research, in New Delhi on Monday. — Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

NEW DELHI, MARCH 1. Noted scientist and director of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA), P.G.S. Mony, was today presented Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur, France's most prestigious award, for his contribution to Indo-French co-operation in science and technology.

Presenting the award here, the Ambassador of France to India, Dominique Girard, lauded the role of the founder director of CEFIPRA for making it a successful instrument of Indo-French cooperation that has become a role model for international scientific collaboration.

The award was instituted by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte to recognise distinguished qualities acquired during a public or a civil career, or in private enterprise.

Mr. Mony, who did his M.Tech. at the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, and worked for 31 years as an engineer in the Indian programme for developing nuclear plants, played the leading role in the establishment of CEFIPRA in 1987.

The centre, a joint organisation of the Government of India's Department of Science and Technology and the French Government, has been promoting collaborative research in science and technology.

Later talking to The Hindu, Mr. Mony said that in the last 15 years, CEFIPRA had funded 230 research projects, organised 52 joint scientific seminars while its more than 1,500 papers had been published in journals of international repute. "Researches have been carried out in the field of mathematics, medical, law, astrophysics and astronomy. The selection of projects is made by a scientific committee which meets twice a year after rigorous review by scientists from the two countries."

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