By IANS,
New Delhi: The Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) Friday conferred the degree of ‘Doctor of Letters’ (D.Lit) on renowned economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen in a special convocation ceremony held here.
“In awarding this degree the university not only records its deep appreciation for his contribution to the field of economics but it honours itself,” said Jamia Vice-Chancellor Najeeb Jung speaking to a packed house at the M.A. Ansari auditorium.
“We had planned to honour Professor Sen at our convocation held last month but he was not available. So, we held this special convocation ceremony,” Jung later told IANS.
Praising the 91-year-old university, one of the country’s oldest, Sen said that Jamia was a union of education and tradition.
“I am delighted to receive this honour,” added the economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in economic sciences and Bharat Ratna – the highest civilian award in India – the following year.
“Jamia is a place of great education. It’s a confluence of south Asian Muslim history, national heritage, and a global academic institution,” Sen later told IANS.
Jamia Millia Islamia, an institution originally established at Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) in 1920 became a central university by an act of parliament in 1988.