IIT Delhi grieves the passing away of Prof. Rajendra Prasad

IIT Delhi lost Prof Rajendra Prasad, Honorary Professor, Center for Rural development and Technology, to CoVid on May 9. Prof Prasad joined IIT Delhi as a B Tech student in Chemical Engg in 1966. He completed his M Tech in 1973, and his Ph.D. in 1979, all from IIT Delhi.

It was his perseverance and efforts that led IIT Delhi to set up the Center for Rural development and Technology in 1979. He was one of the founding faculty of CRDT and served twice as its head. After his retirement in 2014 he joined CRDT as an Emeritus Professor (2014-19) and was thereafter appointed to a honorary professorship at CRDT.

Prof Prasad was associated with IIT Delhi for about 55 years (1966-2021) and contributed significantly to community development and various rural technologies like  biomass, cookstove, handlooms, carpet weaving, milk, honey, artisans tools etc. He was instrumental in setting up of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialization (MGIRI- Autonomous Institute of MSME, GoI ) at Wardha, and he founded the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) a flagship program of the Indian Govt connecting villages to Higher Educational Institutes in the country.

IIT Delhi community offers its condolences and prays that his family finds the strength to bear this irreparable loss.