Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Ajai Singh

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime ...

(20 November 1934 – 18 April 2023) was a general officer of the

Indian Army Armoured Corps The Indian Army Armoured Corps is one of the combat arms of the Indian Army. Tracing its origins from the first regiment formed in 1776, the present corps was formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the British Indian Army' ...

and an administrator, serving as the

Governor of Assam This is a list of governors of Assam, and other offices of similar scope, from the start of British occupation of the area in 1824 during the First Anglo-Burmese War. The governor of Assam is the nominal head of the Indian state of Assam. The ...

from 2003 to 2008, and as the chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC).

Early life and career

Ajai Singh was born on 20 November 1934 to a farmer's family in Kunadi of erstwhile Kotah State in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. He studied at Mayo College,

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

and

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

. After studies, he joined the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

and was commissioned into the Poona Horse. He saw action in the Indo-Pakistani wars of

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

. He was a gunnery expert and was actively involved in tank development both during his service years and post-retirement tenure in the

Defence Research and Development Organisation The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, head ...

. He was involved in the up-gunning of T- 54 tanks and the development of the Arjun main battle tank.

Training

Singh attended Tank Commanders Course in Czechoslovakia in the year 1966, Defence Services Staff Course in Wellington in 1972, Higher Command Course at College of Combat at Mhow from 1979 to 1980, Royal College of Defence Studies in London (UK) in 1983, and discussions at

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the ...

in the USA in 1983 and 1989.

Death

Singh died on 18 April 2023, at the age of 88.

Commands held

*Commanding Officer, 17th Horse (Poona Horse) *Commander, 14 (Independent) Armoured Brigade, Ambala from 1980 to '82 *BGS, 1 Corps, Mathura from 1982 to '84 *Director General, WE, Army Headquarters, New Delhi from the year 1985 to '87 * GOC, 31 Armoured Division,

Jhansi Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...

from the year 1987 to '89 *Director General, Mechanised Forces, Army HQ, New Delhi from 1989 to '90 *General Officer Commanding – 4 Corps, Tezpur, Assam from 1990 to '92 *Director General, Combat Vehicles, Army HQ, New Delhi from 1992 to '93 * Chief Controller Research & Development (Land Systems), Defence Research & Development Organisation from 1993 to '95 (Ministry of Defence, Government of India).

Honours

*Indian Military Academy (IMA) Sword of Honor and silver medal. (Best all round Gentleman Cadet of June 1956 batch) *

Mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

for Gallantry (1965 Indo – Pak War) *Ati Vishist Seva Medal – (1986) *Param Vishist Seva Medal – (1992)

References

External links

* 1934 births 2023 deaths Indian generals Governors of Assam Rajasthani people Mayo College alumni Military personnel from Rajasthan Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Army War College, Mhow alumni Defence Services Staff College alumni Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies {{Assam-stub