Professor Mehta will join a select band of 11 other distinguished personalities and academicians under the scheme.
The other noted personalities who have been conferred with this award in the past include Sir C V Raman, Satyajit Ray, Dr S N Bose, Ustad Bismillah Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar. This is a coveted honour as under the existing scheme the number of national professors cannot exceed 12 at any given time.
Professor Mehta is currently the Chairman, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and also honorary professor and CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow at the renowned Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Prof Mehta has been recognized world over for his pioneering contributions, particularly in the area of organic synthesis related to design of biologically active molecules. Prof Mehta is the former director of the prestigious IISc, Bangalore and former president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). He also was the president of the Paris based International Council for Science (ICSU).