Bhairab Dutt Pandey (17 March 1917 – 2009) was a member of the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...

and Union Cabinet Secretary of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

under Indira Gandhi. He served as the

Governor of West Bengal The Governor of West Bengal is the nominal head of state of the Indian state of West Bengal and a representative of the President of India. The governor is appointed by the president for a term of five years. His official residence is the Raj ...

(1981–1983), and

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

(1983–1984), and the Administrator of Chandigarh for a brief period. Born in

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of th ...

, in the Indian state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

, Pandey served as a Cabinet Secretary to the

Union Government The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

from 2 November 1972 to 31 March 1977. When President's rule was imposed on Punjab, he served as the Governor of the state. Pandey was married to Vimla Pande. They had three children: Arvind Pandey, environmentalist Lalit Pandey, and Ratna Pandey. His brother-in-law, Vinod Chandra Pandey, was also a former Governor and Union Cabinet Secretary. He was one of the last living members of the Imperial Civil Service, having entered in the 1939 batch.The London Gazette, 17 October 1939
/ref> The Government of India awarded Pandey the fourth highest civilian honour of the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

, in 1972, for his contributions to Indian society and the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

in 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pande, B. D. 1917 births 2009 deaths Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service Recipients of the Padma Shri in civil service Indian Administrative Service officers Kumaoni people Governors of Punjab, India Governors of West Bengal Politicians from Kolkata Uttarakhand politicians People from Almora Indian Civil Service (British India) officers