Reliance Industries on Saturday announced the appointment of R A Mashelkar as an independent director.

Mashelkar, a recipient of Padmashree and Padmabhusan awards and a Fellow of Royal Society London, is president of the Indian National Science Academy and Global Research Alliance.

Mashelkar may also join the Tata Motors board shortly. The renowned scientist has accepted both proposals and sought government clearance for taking up the post. Senior government officials require official permission to take up any private companies' offer for the first two years of their retirement.

Mashelkar said: "Of the 26 offers that I received so far, I have accepted the ones from Tata Motors and Reliance Industries. However, joining their boards is subject to government clearance. I have forwarded the papers for official approval."

Mashelkar, recently in the limelight for his decision to withdraw a report on patent issues on ethical reasons, is an eminent scientist and engineer and has an outstanding academic record and has held several high positions in the field of Science and Technology.

He is the President of the Indian National Science Academy and President of Global Research Alliance, a network of publicly funded R&D institute from Asia Pacific, Europe & US with over 60,000 scientists.

Mashelkar was awarded the Padmashri in 1991 and Padmabhushan in 2000, and is the only third Indian engineer to have been elected as Fellow of Royal Society London in the twentieth Century.