New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday congratulated the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore (IISc-B) and the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) for figuring in the list of top 200 institutions of the QS World University Rankings.

"I am delighted that IISc, Bangalore and IIT, Delhi have been ranked at 147 and 179 respectively in the QS World University Rankings of 2015-16. Please accept my heartiest congratulations on this remarkable achievement," the president said in separate messages to IISc-B director Anurag Kumar and IIT-D officiating director Kshitij Gupta.

"India has outstanding and inherent talent and its institutions have the potential to be the best, provided they can apply themselves to the task of improving quality," Mukherjee said in a statement issued here.

"A high rank not only boosts the morale of the academic community but also opens greater avenues of growth and placement for students," the president said.

"It provides a benchmark for continuous quality enhancement. I am confident that you along with the faculty members and staff of your Institution will continue to strive for developing our academic institutions into global leaders," he added.