In centenary year, Osmania University waits for KCR to accept' honour
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is yet to give his nod on accepting an honorary doctorate from Osmania University.
The varsity has proposed to award the doctorate to Mr Rao during the OU centenary celebrations to be held in April, but has been waiting for his approval.
It’s been nearly six months since the proposal was mooted by the university. Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari, who holds the education portfolio, along with OU Vice-Chancellor Prof S. Ramachandram, had proposed the doctorate to the CM, when they met him at the CM’s camp office discuss arrangements for the centenary celebrations.
However, the CM neither gave any consent nor refused the proposal, but kept the issue pending since then.
With April 17, the date for the celebrations fast approaching, the education department and university officials are now in a flux over how to go about because the university has also proposed doctorates to a few other prominent personalities along with the CM.
President Pranab Mukherjee has been invited to hand over the doctorates. The varsity wants to announce the doctorates for others along with CM, but with no communication from Mr Rao in this regard, officials are now banking on senior ministers and TRS leaders to know whether the CM is interested or not in accepting the doctorate.
An OU official said, “We have received nearly 110 applications for doctorates right from 1969 Telangana movement activists and families of Telangana martyrs. Those who played major role in Telangana agitation between 2009 and 2013 have also applied. Various social and students organisations submitted representations seeking doctorate to CM. We will seek the opinion of CM before announcing Ph.D. All these proposals will be discussed in the special meeting of OU executive council to be held in a week or two.”
The OU had awarded doctorates to 48 personalities since its inception. Prominent among them are Dr B.R. Ambedkar, former PM Manmohan Singh, Palestine leader late Yasser Arafat etc.
The last doctorate was awarded to Arun N. Netravali, an Indo-American computer engineer in 2001.
