Govind Narain, ICS (5 May 1916 – 3 April 2012) was an Indian civil servant who was 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 served as the 8th

Governor of Karnataka The Governor of Karnataka is the constitutional head of the Indian state of Karnataka. The governor is appointed by the president of India for a term of five years, and holds office at the president's pleasure. The governor is '' de jure'' he ...

. He formerly served as 12th Defence Secretary of India (1973 to 1975),

Home Secretary of India The Home Secretary (IAST: ''Gṛha Saciva'' ''गृह सचिव'') is the administrative head of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This post is held by a very senior IAS officer of the rank of Secretary to Government of India. The current Home ...

(1971 to 1973) and the Chief Secretary of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

(1958 to 1961). He is considered to be one of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

's most senior and respected civil servants. He also served as Adviser and Secretary to the

King of Nepal The King of Nepal (traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja i.e. Great King of Kings; it can also be translated as "Sovereign Emperor" ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजधिराज)) was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 ...

from 1951 to 1954.

Early childhood and education

He was born into a Kayastha family in

Mainpuri Mainpuri is a city in Mainpuri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mainpuri district and is situated to the north-east of Agra and is 270 km from New Delhi. Mainpuri forms part of the an ...

and educated at the

University of Allahabad , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

and

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Career

He was selected as a member of the

in 1939 and was Home Secretary of India and Defence Secretary of India before retirement. As Home Secretary, he played a crucial role during the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...

. He then became

Defence Secretary A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...

, a post he occupied between 1973 and 1975. He was also chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, and was deputised to build relations between India and Nepal in 1951 as Adviser to the

Political career

He was named

and held the post between 1977 and 1983. He was awarded 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 2009.

References

External links

Official Profile and Biography
at Governors Office, Karnataka
Govind Narain, one of the last surviving ICS officers, dead

Govind Narain: The young ICS who protected Aligarh university

{{DEFAULTSORT:Narain, Govind 1916 births People from Mainpuri Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Alumni of the University of Oxford University of Allahabad alumni Governors of Karnataka Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs 2012 deaths Indian civil servants Indian Home Secretaries Defence Secretaries of India