National   

Sukhadeo Thorat UGC chief

Special Correspondent

A professor of Economics at JNU he will hold office for 5 years

NEW DELHI : Sukhadeo Thorat, a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), was on Monday made its Chairman. A professor of Economics at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he will hold the office for a term of five years.

Dr. Thorat will take charge from officiating Chairman V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai. The post fell vacant on September 27, 2005 following the superannuation of incumbent Arun Nigavekar. A Ph.D in Economics from JNU , his area of research has been in the field of agricultural development, poverty, labour studies, caste and economic discrimination, particularly in the labour market, and the economic problems of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.

His was among the five names sent to the Government for the post by the search committee set up by Union Human Resource Development Ministry. The other four academics considered for the office were Vice-Chancellor of Indraprastha University K. K. Aggarwal, former JNU Vice-Chancellor Ashis Datta, Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan and Madras University Vice-Chancellor S. P. Thyagarajan.

The three-member search committee was set up in early September 2005 under the chairmanship of the former Chief Justice of India, V. N. Khare.

The other committee members were Director of the National Judicial Academy (Bhopal), N. R. Madhav Menon and Banaras Hindu University Vice-Chancellor Punjab Singh. Though he is a Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Singh was made a member of the search committee by virtue of his stint as former Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and ex-officio Secretary of Agricultural Research.

While it was not necessary to constitute a search committee for the UGC Chairman's post — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was directly appointed Chairperson in 1991 by the then government — the Ministry opted for this route to make the selection process more broad-based.

The search committee submitted its report about a month ago after which the matter was referred to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for final clearance.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Protest in Delhi against Danish cartoons of Prophet Mohammed
Left to continue consultations on Iran, nuclear deal with U.S.
''No group can veto foreign policy''
BJP asks Navin Chawla to step down
No conflict in the decision I have taken as EC, says Navin Chawla
Clemenceau: committee decision to be referred to Supreme Court today
No responding to court: Somnath
Hearing on Reliance plea adjourned
Sukhadeo Thorat UGC chief
CII team meets CPI leaders
Supreme Court concerned at growing custodial violence
AIDS vaccine trial
`My Lord': Sort it out with Bar Councils, says apex court
Train services hit

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu