Chennai: The Indian Science Congress on Tuesday
said Tata Group chief Ratan Tata has been selected for the
Jawarharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award which would be
conferred at a time convenient to him.
Reacting to media reports on Tata`s absence at the Science
Congress here yesterday, Tata Sons said in a statement that
Tata`s office had no information that the industrialist was to
receive the award from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on
January 3.
When contacted, Indian Science Congress (ISC) President K
C Pandey said indeed Tata was among the awardees and his
office was aware of it.
ISC Executive Secretary Amit De said the Jawaharlal Nehru
Birth Centenary Award is never given by the Prime Minister at
the Congress.
"We seek a time convenient to the awardee and even the
place or city is of his choice. He can select any city where
ISCA has its Chapters," De said.
Pandey said he was told by the local organisers about
Tata`s presence at the Congress and hence he had announced
that the award would be conferred on him.
"Tata was not in Chennai on that day and, in the absence
of any such communication about the award, had no intention to
be there," the Tata Sons statement said.
The Prime Minister, who inaugurated the five-day gathering
of scientists, conferred awards on leading scientists and
Nobel laureates, including Venkataraman Ramakrishnan-- the
2009 Chemistry laureate.
Besides Ramakrishnan, Ada Yonath, Thomas Steitz, Tim
Hunt and Martin Chalfie were among the scientists who were
honoured by the Prime Minister.
PTI
