Shekhar Dutt conferred with doctorate by UK University

New Delhi: Swansea University of the United Kingdom has conferred an honorary doctorate degree to former Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt in recognition of his work in public administration on Thursday.

Dutt has been an outstanding member of the university's alumni community.

The award was presented to Dutt at the university's degree ceremony for the School of Management. Dutt started his working life as an army officer in 1967, and whilst in the Indian Army he participated in the 1971 Indo-Pak War in the Western (Singh Rajasthan) Sector and was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry.

Dutt graduated from what was then the University College of Swansea, Wales in 1984 with a postgraduate diploma in Development Policy and Planning from the Centre for Development Studies.

It was a qualification that served him well during the next stages of his career, when, in 1985 he became Commissioner, Raipur Division, in the state of Madhya Pradesh,

and, simultaneously,

Chairman of the Mahanadi Command Area Development Authority.

The tenure allowed him to plan and execute an all-round development of the territory that is now Chhattisgarh state. Dutt also served the nation as Deputy National Security Advisor followed by Governorship of Chhattisgarh.