Ashok Panagariya (22 August 1950 – 11 June 2021) was an Indian neurologist, medical researcher and academic, known for his research on nerve cells and neuromyotonia. He was a vice chancellor of

Rajasthan University of Health Sciences Rajasthan University of Health Sciences is a State university located in Pink City Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. It was established on 25 February 2005 under ''The Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (Act of Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha), 2005 (Act ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

and a member of the Planning Board of the

Government of Rajasthan The Government of Rajasthan is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Rajasthan and its 33 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Rajasthan, a judiciary and a legislative. Jaipur is the capital of Raja ...

. He was a recipient of the Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical category. Ashok Panagariya was awarded the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

in 2014. He died on 11 June 2021 due to COVID-19 complications.

Early life and education

Ashok Panagariya was born on 22 August 1950 in

, in the Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, in a family of freedom fighters. His father Balu Lal Panagariya was a civil servant in the govt of Rajasthan. He obtained his

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in the year 1972 and completed post-graduate training in Internal Medicine in 1976 at the Sawai Man Singh Medical College; he then obtained his DM in Neurology at PGI Chandigarh and became a fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

Career

He headed the department of neurology at the SMS Medical College and became the Principal of the institution. He also served as vice chancellor of

, as the president of Indian Academy of Neurology 2010–2011 and was a member of the State Planning Board on health. Panagariya was a professor emeritus of the

SMS Medical College Sawai Man Singh Medical College, also known as SMS Medical College, is a government medical college in Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India. It was established in 1947 and was the 15th centre for medical education in India. History SMS Medical Coll ...

and an honorary neurologist to the

Armed Forces of India The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by ...

. He was the chairman of DISHA Foundation, a non-profit

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

engaged in the welfare of people with special needs. He was also associated with the

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is a public medical university in Chandigarh, India. It is an 'Institute of National Importance'. It has educational, medical research, and training facilities for its studen ...

, Chandigarh and the Press Club of Jaipur, as a member.

Publications

Panagariya had more than ninety publications in peer reviewed journals and contributed to a textbook on neurology by Walter George Bradley. He also wrote on health issues and the science of spiritualism.

Awards and recognition

Panagariya received the Merit award from the

in 1992. The

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

awarded him the Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical category, in 2002. He was awarded the civilian honour of

in 2014 by the

. He was a recipient of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Award for medical/social contributions, the Lifetime Achievement Award from ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' and of the Lifetime Achievement Award of Madras Neuro Trust.

Legacy

In 2022, the Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN) established the Dr. Ashok Panagariya Research Scholar Award, an annual award in memory of Panagariya. This award, presented by the IAN, is granted to neurologists under the age of 40 and includes a ₹1 lakh cash prize.

References

External links

"Haematology lab at SMS soon"
''

''. 21 March 2010. Archived from th
original
on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Panagariya, Ashok 1950 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Indian medical doctors Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India Dr. B. C. Roy Award winners Indian neurologists Medical doctors from Rajasthan Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Scientists from Jaipur University of Rajasthan alumni Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research alumni