After being held back for a year, the country’s top annual science prize, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards were announced
Key Points
- The awards for 2022 were declared at an unrelated low-key event in New Delhi acknowledging the work of 12 scientists.
- There were no female scientists chosen for the SSB Awards 2022.
- The Bhatnagar Prizes have traditionally been announced every year on September 26, the foundation day of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the organisation that gives away these awards.
- Last year, the awards were withheld even though the selection process had been completed and the list of winners finalised.
Categories of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards
- Physical sciences- Two Selections
- Biological sciences- Two Selections
- Chemical sciences- Two Selections
- Mathematical Sciences- Two Selections
- Engineering sciences- Two Selections
- Earth and planetary sciences- One Selection
- Medical sciences- One Selection
Winners of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards
Biological Sciences
- Ashwani Kumar, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh: Infectious diseases, mainly tuberculosis.
- Maddika Subba Reddy, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting Diagnostics, Hyderabad: Understanding molecular processes that get triggered when a cell receives some signal from another cell.
Chemical Sciences
- Akkattu T Biju,Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru: Environmentally friendly and cheaper chemical reactions to develop organic compounds, many used in pharma industry.
- Debabrata Maiti,IIT Bombay: Modification of organic compounds to create new specific compounds with desired properties.
Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
- Vimal Mishra,IIT Gandhinagar: Predicting water flows in drainage basins to develop solutions for water management.
Engineering Sciences
- Dipti Ranjan Sahoo,IIT Delhi: Earthquake-resistant designs of building.
- Rajnish Kumar,IIT Madras: Carbon dioxide sequestration in solid hydrates, and recovery of methane from ocean gas hydrates.
Mathematical Science
- Apoorva Khare,Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru: Abstract algebra, combinatorics and discontinuous structures.
- Neeraj Kayal,Microsoft Research Lab, India: Computational complexity and algebra, number theory and geometry.
Medical Sciences
- Dipyaman Ganguly,CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata: Immunity and inflammatory disorders.
Physical Sciences
- Anindya Das,Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru: Transport mechanisms in quantum nano devices.
- Basudeb Dasgupta,Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai: Particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, with focus on dark matter and neutrino physics.
About Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards
- The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards are the highest multidisciplinary science awards in India.
- They are named after Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, the founder and director of the CSIR, who was also a renowned chemist and visionary.
- It is the national honor bestowed upon young scientists and engineers in India to recognize their research and development activities.
- The prize comprises a citation, a plaque, and a cash award of Rs. 5 lakh.
- In addition, recipients also get Rs. 15,000 per month up to the age of 65 years.
- The SSB prize was first awarded in 1958.
Eligibility For Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards
- Any citizen of India engaged in research in any field of science and technology up to the age of 45 years as reckoned on 31st December of the year preceding the year of the Prize.
- Overseas citizens of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) working in India are also eligible.
- The Prize is awarded on the basis of contributions made through work done primarily in India during the five years preceding the year of the Prize.
Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar was born on February 21, 1894, in Bhera,Punjab (now in Pakistan).
- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar enrolled at Forman Christian College in 1913to pursue a BSc degree. He studied physics and chemistry.
- In 1921, he went to England to complete his DSc (Doctor of Science) at London University after finishing his Master’s degree.
- Bhatnagar returned to India in 1921, joined Banaras Hindu University,and created an active school of physico-chemical research.
- Bhatnagar played a significant role in building post-independent Science and Technologyinfrastructure and in the formulation of India’s Science and Technology policies.
- He played a significant role in the establishment of India’s National Research Development Corporation (NRDC).
- After Independence, he was an ardent proponent of industrial research, and his negotiations with the oil industries resulted in the establishment of several oil refineries in India.
Recognitions
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar’s contributions to science were acknowledged with several prominent honours.
- Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, 1934
- Awarded the ‘Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in 1936.
- Fellow of the Royal Society in 1943.
- President of the Indian Chemical Society, National Institute of Sciences of India, and Indian National Science Congress
- Padma Vibhushan in 1954.
To Download Monthly Current Affairs PDF Click here
Click here to get a free demo
Everything About CLAT 2025
