BH CORRESPONDENT, New Delhi: Dr RK Pachauri, founder and former chief executive The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), passed away on Thursday evening after a prolonged illness. He was 79.
Pachauri was battling against heart ailments at a hospital in New Delhi. He had suffered a stroke in Mexico last July and had also had an heart operation.
“It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing away of R K Pachauri, the founder Director of TERI. The entire TERI family stands with the family of Dr Pachauri in this hour of grief,” tweeted TERI soon after Pachauri’s death.
Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI, who succeeded Pachauri in 2015, said, “TERI is what it is today because of Dr Pachauri’s untiring perseverance. He played a pivotal role in making us a leading organisation in the sustainability space.”
In 2002, Pachauri was elected chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The panel received the Nobel Peace Prize during his tenure in 2007.
However, in 2015, Pachauri got involved in alleged sexual harassment scandal of a woman colleague. Thereafter, he resigned from the post.