Mysuru  – Prof. S. R. Niranjana, Vice-Chancellor, Gulbarga University and Senior Professor of Mysore University, was conferred the prestigious Dr. Raja Ramanna Award at a function held at Tata Auditorium, IISc., Bengaluru, on Apr. 12 by Chief Minister Siddharamaiah.

The award, comprising a cash prize, a memento and a citation, is given by the Government of Karnataka to a scientist who   has made significant contribution in the field of Science and Education.

Prof. Niranjana is working on various aspects of agriculture and sustainable development with his team of Research Scholars and Post-Doctoral Fellows from last two-and-half decades. He visited Danish Government Institute of Seed Pathology (DGISP), Denmark under the Fellowship of Danish Government in 1998 to work as a Fellow at Institute of Seed Pathology under the well-known Seed Pathologist, Dr. S. B. Mathur.

After that he visited Denmark seven times to work for the transfer of Seed Pathology Courses, Diploma and Certificate Courses to the Department of Studies in Applied Botany, University of Mysore.

He is also instrumental in establishing the Asian Seed Health Centre by transferring the Seed Pathology Courses from DGISP, Denmark to Department of Studies in Applied Botany, University of Mysore, for which Danish Government awarded 4.5 crore grant and established the network research and training centres in China Agriculture University, China, Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Tanzania in South Africa in the area of Molecular Plant Pathology, Seed Pathology, Biological Control, Host Pathogen Interaction.

He is a recipient of several Fellowships and awards including National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2013-14), Sir C.V. Raman State Award for Young Scientist (2009), V.P. Bhide Memorial Award (2004) and P.P. Singhal Memorial Pesticide India Award (2007).