“Green Visionary” of India Dr. Prem C. Jain passes away
New Delhi : Dr. Prem C. Jain, famous for decades of service to the environment, earning him a reputation as a “green visionary” has passed away on early Thursday. He was aged 82 years.
Dr. Jain has served as adviser to the President and to the Prime Minister of India; has chaired the International Green Building Congress in Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai from 2006 to 2011; and since 2007, has chaired the Indian Green Building Council. He founded the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers in 1980, and the India Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers in 1989. He also rewrote the section on air conditioning, heating and ventilation for the National Building Code of India-NBC 2005, bringing it up to the international level of codes, standards and practices.
Dr Jain who had a master’s degree and a doctorate in mechanical engineering. Upon returning to India in 1970 after post-graduate studies in the U.S., he served as a visiting professor at IIT Kanpur, where he taught post-graduate studies and set up a laboratory for environmental engineering. He has also been on the visiting faculty for the School of Planning and Architecture at Delhi University since 1973.He is known as the most admired teacher par excellence. He has been awarded the best visiting faculty award in 1990.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, Dr Jain was a business entrepreneur, founding Spectral Services Consultants Private Limited (now an AECOM company) in 1980 with the mission of providing energy-efficient, fire safe, fully-coordinated Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) services design for all varieties of planned buildings in India. The firm grew from four employees to a staff of more than 600 in 10 offices.
His name is synonymous with the science of air-conditioning and he is known as one of the most outstanding consulting engineers with design experience spanning more than 45 years. He was a Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME-USA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA-USA), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES-USA), International Solar Energy Society (ISES-GERMANY) and Consulting Engineers Association of India (CEAI-India). He has been listed in Marquis 'Who's Who in the World' from 1997 and in Marquis 'Who's Who in Science & Engineering' since 2000. He has also featured in Baron's 'Who's Who (USA)', 'The Asia 500 Leaders for the New Century' published in the USA in 2000, and in Marquis 'Who's Who in Asia' 1997. Furthermore, he has been honoured with the Rashtriya Gaurav Award at the All India Achievers' Conference in 1997. For his special merits and numerous contributions to the society, he was awarded ASHRAE's highest honour - Louise and Bill Holladay 'Distinguished Fellow' award. He is the Fellow of a large number of International Societies, namely, Institute of Refrigeration (IR-London), Institution of Engineers (IE-India), Institution of Energy Engineers (IEE India) and Indian Society of Lighting Engineers (ISLE-India).
Syed Mohamed Beary, Chairman of IGBC Bengaluru Chapter and Bearys Group has expressed shock over the demise of Dr Prem Jain. He said " Dr Jain was
the most respected Green Building figure in Asia . With his passing away, the green building movement of India has been orphaned. Now the rest of us have to work so much more harder in his absence to make his dreams to make Bharat as the world leader in green buildings".
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
