New Delhi, Mar 27 : Former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2008 Hoover Medal for his outstanding service to humanity.

The announcement to this effect was made in New York on Friday. The citation said that the award would be presented to Dr. Kalam at a special ceremony on April 28.

It applauded the former president was his achievements such as bringing quality medical care to rural areas by establishing a link between doctors and technocrats, using spin-offs of defense technology to create state-of-the-art medical equipment, and launching telemedicine projects connecting remote rural-based hospitals to the super-specialty hospitals.

The awardees of the Hoover medal are chosen by representatives from the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007. During his presidentship, he was popularly known as ''People''s President''.

Before his term as India''s president, Dr. Kalam worked as an engineer with Defence Recearch and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was awarded India''s highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his work in the two organisations and his role as a scientific advisor to the Indian government.

Dr. Kalam is also highly respected as a scientist. He played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India''s Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998. (ANI)