President Droupadi Murmu Awards National Science Awards - 24 Scientists Honored
On December 23, 2025, President Droupadi Murmu honored renowned astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar posthumously with the Vijayan Ratna Award for his contributions to cosmology and popularizing science. The award was accepted by Dr. R. Srikanand, Director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, which was founded by Narlikar.
The award ceremony took place at the Republic Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. During the event, National Science Awards were presented in four categories: Science Ratan, Science Shree, Science Youth, and Science Team. A total of 24 awards were given to distinguished scientists.
The National Science Awards aim to recognize the exceptional and inspiring contributions made by scientists, technologists, and innovators in the fields of science, technology, and technology-based innovations, either individually or as a team.
Science Ratan Award
Prominent agricultural scientist Dr. Gyanendra Pratap Singh was awarded the Science Shree Award for his contributions to agricultural science. Known as the 'Wheat Breeder', Singh has made significant strides in the field of wheat cultivation. Other recipients of the Science Shree Award include:
- Yusuf Mohammed Sheikh (Nuclear Energy)
- K. Thangaraj (Biology)
- Pradeep Thalappil (Chemistry)
- Aniruddha Bhalchandra Pandit (Engineering Science)
- S. Venkat Mohan (Environmental Science)
- Mahant Maharaj (Mathematics and Computer Science)
- Jayan N. (Space Science and Technology)
Science Youth Award
The following recipients were honored with the Science Youth Award:
- Jagdish Gupta Kapuganti (Agricultural Science)
- Satendra Kumar Mangrothia (Agricultural Science)
- Debarka Sengupta (Biology)
- Deepa Agashe (Biology)
- Dibyendu Das (Chemistry)
- Waliur Rahman (Earth Science)
- Arkaprava Basu (Engineering Science)
- Subyasachi Mukherjee (Mathematics and Computer Science)
- Shweta Prem Agarwal (Mathematics and Computer Science)
- Suresh Kumar (Medical Science)
- Amit Kumar Agarwal (Physics)
- Surhud Srikant More (Physics)
- Ankur Garg (Space Science and Technology)
- Mohanshankar Shivprakasham (Technology and Innovation)
Science Team Award
The CSIR’s "Scent Mission Team" from Jammu and Kashmir, known for initiating the 'Lavender Mission', was awarded the Science Team Award.