K.B. Lall, ICS (1917–2005) was an eminent civil servant of

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and a member of ICS. He was

Defence Secretary of India Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. Earlier, he served as commerce secretary as well as ambassador to the

European Common Market The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...

, as the European Union was then known. Ambassador Lall was also accredited to the Grand Duchy of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. In this capacity he inaugurated with the former minister of foreign affairs of Luxembourg, Mr.

Gaston Thorn Gaston Egmond Thorn (3 September 192826 August 2007) was a Luxembourgish politician who served in a number of high-profile positions, both domestically and internationally. He most prominently served as prime minister of Luxembourg (1974–19 ...

, the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the Municipal Park in Luxembourg-City on 21 June 1973. The bronze bust sculpture by the famous modernist artist Amar Nath Sehgal (1922–2007) was a gift by the philanthropist

Henry J. Leir Henry J. Leir (January 28, 1900 – July 15, 1998) was an American industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. He is primarily known for his role in the post-World War II economic development of Luxembourg. Early life and career Leir was bor ...

. Greatly respected by Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram, Lall's stewardship of the Ministry of Defence contributed materially to the smooth conduct of, and victory in the 1971 War. He was conferred

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") 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 w ...

award in 2000. He died at the age of 88 in 2005.

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* Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Indian civil servants Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service 2005 deaths Defence Secretaries of India 1917 births {{India-diplomat-stub