Sarla Grewal (4 October 1927 – 29 January 2002) was the second female

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

officer in

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 ...

, when she joined IAS in 1952. She was the

Governor of Madhya Pradesh The governor of Madhya Pradesh is the nominal head of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The governor is appointed by the president of India. There are 22 governors. Below is a list of governors of the Central Provinces and Berar and the pre ...

(1989–1990). She was the principal secretary for

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...

. In addition to the above-mentioned posts, she was Shimla's first deputy commissioner, Secretary to Prime Minister at

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

and

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Career

Born in a

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

family, Grewal did her bachelor's from Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya. After graduating, she joined IAS in 1952. Then in 1956, she was the

Deputy Commissioner A deputy commissioner is a police, income tax or administrative official in many countries. The rank is commonplace in police forces of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, usually ranking below the Commissioner. Australia In all Aust ...

and was the first woman in India to be appointed to the post nationwide. She was awarded the British Council Scholarship at LSE on social services in developing countries, with special emphasis on health, education and society welfare schemes. In 1963, she became the health secretary in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and during her tenure Punjab received four awards for national family welfare. In 1985 Grewal was appointed PM's secretary. Later in her life she became the chairman of Tribune Trust which she continued until her death.

Death

Grewal died of pulmonary tuberculosis and

chronic kidney failure Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of long-term kidney disease, defined by the sustained presence of abnormal kidney function and/or abnormal kidney structure. To meet criteria for CKD, the abnormalities must be present for at least three mo ...

on January 29, 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grewal, Serla Governors of Madhya Pradesh Indian Administrative Service officers 1927 births 2002 deaths Rajiv Gandhi administration Cabinet Secretaries of India Women state governors of India

Career

Death

See also

References