Eminent scientist and former director general of CSIR Dr R A Mashelkar has resigned as the chairman of the board of governors for India's premier pharmaceutical institution, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Punjab.

Dr Mashelkar, who is more associated with new ventures in the private sector like Reliance Innovation Leadership Centre, has sent his resignation letter to the Chemicals Ministry, seeking to relieve his of the post of the NIPER chairman.

He has cited his `pre-occupied engagement' as the reason to step down, in his brief letter. The letter has been forwarded to the concerned section in the Department for further process, but it is yet to be officially accepted, sources in the Ministry said.

Dr Mashelkar was made the chairman of the 22-member board of governors for his second term in December 2006. He completed three-year term in his first tenure as the chairman.

After the retirement as the Director General of CSIR and his more turbulent period as the chairman of the technical expert committee on patent issue, the eminent scientist has been more associated with private sector engagements. Recently, he was made the head of the Reliance Innovation Leadership Centre at his hometown of Pune. He is also on the board of Reliance Industries.

A man with plenty of laurels and awards as scientist of international repute, Dr Mashelkar has been instrumental in the evolving of NIPER as its chairman over the last five years.