Haravu Venkatanarasingha Verada Raj "H. V. R." Iengar CIE, ICS (23 August 1902Glimpses of the past
Frontline Issue dated 07 - 20 June 2003 – 22 February 1978) was the sixth Governor of the

Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible f ...

from 1 March 1957 to 28 February 1962. He 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 ...

, entering service on 20 October 1926. He was invested as a Companion of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in the 1941 New Year Honours. He served as the

Chairman of State Bank of India The chairperson of the State Bank of India is the chief executive officer of India's largest scheduled commercial bank and the '' ex-officio'' chair of its Central Board of Directors. Since its establishment in 1955 by the government of India, ...

, before his appointment as the Governor of the Reserve Bank. During Iengar's tenure, the Indian coinage system shifted from the earlier pies, paise, and anna system to the modern decimal coinage system. During his tenure also variable

cash reserve ratio In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-i ...

and selective credit control were introduced for the first time in India. He received 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 ...

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 second highest civilian honour from 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, ...

in 1962. In 2002 on his birth centenary, an illustrated book, ''Snapshots of History— Through The Writings of H V R Iyengar'' consisting of articles written by Iengar after his retirement in 1962, were compiled and edited by his daughter Indira and son-in-law Bipin Patel.The Making Of History Of Our Times
Financial Express 3 August 2003

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyengar, H. V. R. Governors of the Reserve Bank of India Indian bankers Indian civil servants Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service 1902 births 1978 deaths