Kurukshetra (Haryana): Kurukshetra University will confer the Goyal Peace Prize 2021-22 on ISRO Chairman S Somanath for his contributions to space technology. Somanath has consented to receive the coveted award in a ceremony at the university in the near future, the institution said in release on Wednesday.
Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appreciated the decision to confer the award on Somanath. Vice-Chancellor Som Nath Sachdeva said Somanath has worked tirelessly during his tenure as a scientist and then as chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to use space technology for the benefit of humanity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded ISRO in his speech at the organisation's headquarters recently where he appreciated the agency's space missions for the "ease of living and ease of governance" and also in "providing education, communication and health services to the remote areas of the country", Sachdeva said.
Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, was the first recipient of the Goyal Peace Prize in 2015. Dr K Kasturirangan, a former ISRO chairman, received a Goyal Award in 1998. The awards were instituted by Ram S Goyal, a US-based NRI and philanthropist. (PTI)
