Nepali Congress President and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been conferred with honorary doctorate by the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.

The university Vice Chancellor Prof Jagadesh Kumar conferred Deuba with the honorary degree for his contribution in strengthening democracy amid a function on Sunday, said an NC statement.

Deuba is the first Nepali national to be awarded by the university with such an honour. Myanmar’s democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam were the previous recipients of the honorary title from the university.

“This award is also an honour to common people’s shared aspiration for greater political freedom and expanded economic opportunities across the developing world, to the relentless struggle that people have gone through for democracy and development,” Deuba said in his acceptance speech.

Stating that the country is entering a crucial phase of implementing the constitution, Deuba said, “We cannot afford anymore to be mired in protracted political transition. If we fail to build a consensus and solve the political issues, we will stunt our pursuit for socio-economic development.”