Vishnu Sahay (22 November 1901 – 3 April 1989) was a former ICS officer and

Cabinet Secretary of India The Cabinet Secretary (ISO:''मंत्रिमंडळ सचिव'') is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the Government of India. The Cabinet Secretary is the ''ex-officio'' head of the Civil Services Boa ...

who served as

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 ...

and

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

following his retirement.

Early life and education

Sahay was the elder brother of Bhagawan Sahay, also an ICS officer and a former

Governor of Kerala The governor of Kerala is the constitutional head of state of the southern Indian state of Kerala. The governor is appointed by the President of India, and holds office at the President's pleasure. The governor is ''de jure'' head of the govern ...

and

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

. Vishnu Sahay studied at the SM College,

Chandausi Chandausi is a city and a municipal board in Sambhal district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The original name of the city was "Chanda Si", meaning "moon-like" (in Indian poetry, the moon is considered to be beautiful). Chandausi is a la ...

and at the

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. He was a member of the 1925 batch of the ICS, passing the exams on 16 October of that year. Somewhat unusually, he was never awarded any of the honours which a civilian of his long service would have normally received.

Civil servant

Sahay had a long and distinguished career in 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 Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

. He served as Cane Commissioner of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and Sugar Controller for India, and as Secretary of Agriculture to the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in which post, impressed by the Kaira Cooperative, he helped

Verghese Kurien Verghese Kurien (26 November 1921 – 9 September 2012) was an Indian dairy engineer and social entrepreneur. He led initiatives that contributed to the extensive increase in milk production in India termed as the White Revolution. Kurien gra ...

Amul The Anand Milk Union Limited commonly known as Amul is an Indian dairy brand owned by the cooperative society, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), based in Anand, Gujarat. GCMMF is controlled by 3.6 million milk producers. ...

get a scholarship to study dairying in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He also served as Secretary for Kashmir Affairs in the Ministry of External Affairs and was Cabinet Secretary of India twice during 1958–1960 and during 1961–1962.

Gubernatorial tenure

Sahay was a two time Governor of Assam serving from 12 November 1960 to 13 January 1961 and from 7 September 1962 to 17 April 1968. As Governor of Assam, Sahay signed the Ceasefire Agreement with the Naga insurgents in 1964. He was also the first Governor of Nagaland, holding that office from 1 December 1963 – 17 April 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahay, Vishnu Governors of Assam Governors of Nagaland Cabinet Secretaries of India Indian Civil Service (British India) officers People from Uttar Pradesh 1901 births 1989 deaths