This prestigious honour was presented during the 57th Annual Day celebrations held at the NITTTR in Chandigarh on September 7, 2024.

Prof. Dr. S.R.R. Senthilkumar, Principal of Sona College of Technology, received the award from the Governor of Punjab and Chief Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, in the presence of Dr. Binod Kumar Kanaujiya, Director of the National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar.

NITTTR, which plays a vital role in enhancing excellence in higher education institutions, particularly in up-skilling the technical workforce, was recently accorded ‘Deemed-to-be-University’ status. This year, NITTTR instituted the National Award for the first time to recognise excellence in engineering education.

Another organisation from the Sona Institutions, Thiagarajar Polytechnic College, has also received the Outstanding Polytechnic Institution Award at the national level during the same event.

Sharing this moment of pride, Prof. Dr. S.R.R. Senthilkumar said, "This honour is a reflection of the exceptional learning outcomes achieved by our faculty through a collaborative environment, backed by a strong research focus and industry-academia connect."

Shri C. Valliappa, Chairman of the Sona Institutions, added, "This recognition validates the College’s research focus and the 300 strong faculty team’s commitment to preparing engineering professionals to excel in new-age technologies and thrive in the world of work."

In August 2024, the Ministry of Education’s NIRF rankings placed Sona College in the Top 11-50 band under Innovation Institutes and between 151-200 band among Engineering colleges nationally. Last quarter, Sona College was awarded the NAAC A++ accreditation with a CGPA of 3.65, a distinction granted to a handful of institutions all over India.

In this first-ever initiative by NITTTR, founded by the Ministry of Education, three engineering colleges and three polytechnic institutions were selected from hundreds of applications nationwide. Among them, Sona College of Technology and Thiagarajar Polytechnic College were honoured for their outstanding contributions to education.