Chandigarh, February 27
Prof S.K. Salwan is likely to be new Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar.
A Senior Adviser at the PTU, he succeeds Prof Y.S. Rajan, who had quit over politico-bureaucratic “pressures and disturbances’’ in the academics.
It is learnt that instead of the Vice-Chancellor, the Chief Secretary will be the chairman of the university’s Board of Governors till further orders.
Born in Lahore in 1942, Prof Salwan belongs to Chak Sikandar village in Amritsar district. He had his early education in Ajmer in Rajasthan. All through he has had an excellent academic record.
He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and brings with him 14 years of teaching and research experience.
He is credited with establishing the Department of Design Engineering at the Institute of Armament Technology, Pune.
Dr Salwan told The Tribune on the telephone from Jalandhar that he was the founder-member of the integrated guided missile programme of defence research under Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He also established the high-technology missile centre, RCI at Hyderabad.
He also established the Rs 1000-crore National Range for Testing Missiles and Weapon Systems at Chandipore Balasore in a record time of three years. He was Director of the Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune.
Prof Salwan said his endeavour would be to bring relevance and excellence in technical education.
Dr Salwan has been part of many high-level defence delegations to various countries. He was Adviser (Strategic Project) and Emeritus Scientist at the DRDO.
He has won various awards, including the Scientist of the Year 1994; the Rajiv Ratan Award, 1995, and a Vashisht Sewa Medal, 1996, and the Technology Assimilation and Transfer Trophy, 1997.
