Date:05/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/05/stories/2008010561551100.htm

National

Conferment of honorary degrees: Krishna, Deshmukh veto recommendation

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh vetoed on Friday a recommendation that universities should not consider active politicians and serving government officials for conferment of honorary degrees.

The Governor, who is the ex-officio chancellor of the universities in the State, and the Chief Minister argued that some of the politicians had made handsome contribution to the field of higher education and therefore it would be unfair not to consider their names for awarding the honorary degrees.

Mr. Krishna ruled that the matter be left to the discretion and wisdom of the university concerned. He was presiding over the meeting of the Joint Board of Vice-Chancellors of Universities in Maharashtra held at the Raj Bhavan.

The Higher Education Ministers, Dilip Walse-Patil and Anees Ahmed, and top bureaucrats were also present at the meeting.

His predecessor, P.C. Alexander, had appointed a committee under B.L. Mungekar, the then Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University and now a member of the Planning Commission, to evolve guidelines for the Vice-Chancellors for conferment of the honorary degrees.

The politicians rejected the committee’s recommendation amidst laughter.