Deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil law at the University of Oxford.
Ahluwalia, who played a key role in accelerating India's economic reforms since the early 1990s, was a Rhodes scholar and studied for MA and MPhil degrees at the university.
He was among six distinguished personalities in various fields honored at a special ceremony at Oxford yesterday evening.
Chris Patten, chancellor of the university, lauded Ahluwalia's contribution to Indian economy and said: "He worked at the World Bank for a number of years before being summoned to India by his prime minister.
"He came back to America for a second stint, and then once more returned home, again at the prime ministers request. One can readily see from this how highly his judgement and experience are valued".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was awarded the same degree in July 2005.