MEA gives nod to IGNOU for doctorate to Dalai Lama

IGNOU had its 22nd convocation day on April 2 this year but it could not honour the Dalai Lama then in the absence of the MEA’s green signal.

The varsity will now have to look for a suitable date for the same.

The issue of honorary doctorates has earned the HRD Ministry much criticism over the last few months.

In August last year,the University of Hyderabad’s plans to confer an honorary doctorate on chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand and Harvard mathematician David Mumford had hit a roadblock owing to procedural delays at the HRD Ministry.

The Jamia Milia-Dalai Lama episode followed soon after when the varsity’s plan to confer an honorary doctorate on the Tibetan spiritual leader on its convocation on November 23,2010 had to be put off in the absence of a MEA clearance. The university got a go-ahead from the Ministry later.

As per procedure,Central Universities have to take their proposals on conferring honorary doctorates to the HRD Ministry with complete information about the candidates. And,Government of India rules stipulate that in the case of foreigners the details have to be sent to the Ministry of External Affairs and political clearance is also required. Once cleared by the MEA and HRD,the proposal is sent to the President for approval.

The Dalai Lama is the supreme spiritual head of Tibetans across the world and leads his government in exile in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh under refuge in India.

He has been conferred honorary doctorates by a number of international varsities and has also chaired sessions at various prestigious national and international events.