Ex-DRDO DG Dr Avinash Chander awarded Aryabhata Award

Former DRDO Director-General (DG) Dr Avinash Chander has been awarded prestigious Aryabhata Award of Astronautical Society of India.
He was bestowed with this award in recognition for his contribution to missile technology.
He was presented with this award from Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to Union Government, and Dr A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman ISRO.

About Avinash Chander

• Avinash Chander was the chief architect of India’s strategic Agni series of ballistic missile systems and famously is known as Agni man of India.
• Range of India’s Agni missiles were developed under his technology forecast, perspective planning and relentless efforts. He steered the first three missions of the Agni 5 missile.
• He had joined DRDO after completing graduation in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1972 and retired in 2015 after completion of 42 years of distinguished service.
• He had served as DG of DRDO from 2013 to 2015. He also had served as Scientific Adviser to the Union Defence Minister.
• Awards: He was awarded Padma Shri, AGNI Self-Reliance Award (1999), Dr. Biren Roy Space Science Award (2000), DRDO Award (2007), DRDO Technology Leadership Award, (2008).