Prof Vir Bala Aggarwal, chairperson, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), has been honoured with the Bharat Nirman Award for her outstanding contribution in the field of mass communication. The award was given to Professor Aggarwal at the 20th annual award ceremony held at Kolkata recently. The professor has been honoured by the Kolkata-based Bharat Nirman Organisation which bestows honours on various talented personalities and record achievers from diverse disciplines and careers. Professor Aggarwal had founded the department of journalism at the HPU in 1986. Since then, she has made a remarkable contribution towards the growth of the department. She has more than 27 years of experience in teaching and developing the curricula of various universities and 15 years of experience in research and innovations related to the field of mass communication. She has published numerous research publications which have been widely accepted and appreciated in the academic community. Dr Aggarwal has authored several books on journalism. Her books include “Essentials of Practical Journalism”, “Handbook of Journalism and Mass Communication”, “Media and Society: Challenges and Opportunities”, “Media Policies and Nation Building: Select Issues and Themes” and “Role of Media in National Crisis”. She has earned many awards and is a member of several prestigious organisations throughout the world.