* B A N A R A S H I N D U U N I V E R S I T Y *

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Vice-Chancellor, BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
Professor Panjab  Singh

Dr. Panjab Singh did his M.Sc.(Agronomy) in 1964 in first division with distinction of having first position in the University merit; Ph.D. (Water Management) in 1969 from Indian Institute of technology (IIT), Kharagpur (with course and field work also at the University of California, Davis, U.S.A.), 1969. Dr. Singh started his career as Assistant Professor (Agronomy) and rose to the position of Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE), GOI and Director General, ICAR.

He has held many responsible positions such as Head of the Division, Assistant Director General, NARP, (ICAR; director, IGFRI, Jhansi; Joint Director(res.), IARI; Vice-chancellor, JNKVV, Jabalpur; and Director IARI, New Delhi. Dr. Singh also served as regional Plant Production and Protection Officer in FAO Regional Office in Bangkok (Thailand).

He was elected fellows of NAAS, ISA, NIE, BRSISEE and President of Scientific Societies viz., Indian Society of agronomy (3 terms), Range Management society of India (3 terms), Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics (two terms), Indian Society of Tree Scientists (one term), Indian Society of Agricultural Sciences (one term), Indian Society of Plant Physiology (one term); Vice President, Indian Society of Forage research, Society of Bio-Sciences, IAUA, NAAS. Chairman/member of important National and International Bodies - a few notable one are, Chairman, ICAR Governing Body; Vice chairman, ICRISAT Governing Board; Member, Policy Advisory Board, ACIAR, Australia; Member, expert Panel for 1992 roman Megsaysay Award, Philippines; continuing Committees of International Rangeland and International Grassland Congresses; Member, Editorial Board of Grasslands & Herbage Abstracts, CAB International, UK; Japanese Society of Grassland Science, Japan; Expert Member of EU Projects; Expert Member, Global Open Agriculture and Food University (GO- AFU), CGIAR etc. Dr. Singh is also decorated with D.Sc. (Honoris Causa) by three Universities viz., Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (TN) and Poorvanchal University, Jaunpur (U.P.)

Dr. Singh has more than three decades of Management and Administrative experience in senior positions in Indian Universities and Institutions of repute. Besides providing leadership in shaping up of national and state level research institutions and Universities. Dr. Singh has made significant scientific contribution in fields of water management in crops production, rain-fed and dryland crop husbandry and forage and agroforestry production and management systems. He has won several distinguished awards viz., National Productivity Council Award, Millennium Plaque of Honour by Indian Science Congress, World Food day Award, K.N. Behl Memorial Gold Medal, ISA gold Medal etc. Dr. Singh has more than 350 research papers/ articles to his credit and has guided more than a dozen Ph.D., M.Sc. and M.Phil. programmes.

Dr. Singh has widely traveled time and again in various capacities viz., leader of delegations, expert members, conference participants to countries like Australia, Belgium, Bhutan, Canada China, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy Nepal, Netherlands, Kenya (Nairobi), New Zealand, Philippines, sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, UK, U.S.A. Prior to his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, he was Professor and Director, School of Agriculture in Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), one of the world's largest University in Open Distance Learning (ODL). He is a Scientific Consultant (Agriculture and Rural Technology), Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, New Delhi.
(E-mail: vc_bhu@bhu.ac.in)