Former President Dr Rajendra Prasad and (below) chief minister Nitish Kumar

Patna, March 7: Patna University (PU) is planning to reward chief minister Nitish Kumar with an honorary doctorate degree this year for the development he has carried out in the state.

If Nitish does get the doctorate, he will beat RJD chief Lalu Prasad yet again. In 2001, the RJD chief was considered for an honorary doctorate. But the plan was shelved because of protests from the anti-RJD factions.

The proposal to honour Nitish was raised at the annual senate meeting of the varsity on February 22, when member Nitish Tuntun demanded that the chief minister be given a doctorate for the development work he had carried out.

The varsity administration had replied that they would form a committee and their proposal would be sent to the chancellor for a final approval.

A source said: “The university will form a committee. The convocation of the university is scheduled for March 28. The committee will meet before that and decide whether to confer the degree or not.”

Sudipto Adhikari, the vice-chancellor of Patna University, said: “The issue was first raised in the senate meeting. The university is in process of setting up a committee for this. The committee will decide on the issue before the convocation.”

Patna University was set up in 1917 and gave its first doctorate degree to Sir Edward Albert in 1919.

Between 1931 and 1936, a number of persons — Sir Ganesh Dutta, Sir Tej Bahadur and K.P. Jaiswal — were awarded a doctorate.

After Independence, too, a number of famous personalities have been given doctorates for their contribution to society.

First President Dr Rajendra Prasad, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, second President S. Radhakrishnan, Bihar’s first chief minister Srikrishna Singh and eminent freedom fighter Anugrah Narayan Singh were also awarded doctorates.

Between 1969 and 1984, the convocation ceremony was not held.

In recent times, BJP leaders and former Union external affairs and finance minister Yashwant Sinha was also given a doctorate in 2003.