Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has won two of the three Visitor’s Awards that had been instituted by President Pranab Mukherjee last year. The President of India is the visitor for all central universities. JNU received the awards for the Innovation and Research categories, while Tezpur University in Assam received the Best University award for academic excellence and overall performance.

JNU professor Rakesh Bhatnagar received the Innovation award for his vaccine and antibody against anthrax. JNU’s Molecular Parasitology Group received the Research award for their work on malaria, amoeba and kala-azar parasites.

Last year, Hyderabad University was adjudged the “Best University” for its performance in 2014. A Delhi University professor, Vijaya Chaudhary, and his team got the award for “Innovation”. The Centre of Theoretical Physics, from Jamia Millia Islamia, won the “Research” prize.

Did You Know?

• ‘Jawaharlal Nehru University also known as JNU, is a public central university in New Delhi, the capital of India.
• In 2012 The National Assessment and Accreditation Council gave the university a grade of 3.9 out of 4, the highest grade awarded to any educational institution in the country.
• Jawaharlal Nehru University was established in 1969 by an act of parliament.
• It was named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. G. Parthsarthi was the first vice-chancellor.
• The university is known to have a long tradition of alumni who now occupy important political and bureaucratic positions.