Govind Narain

Govind Narain, ICS (5 May 1916 – 3 April 2012) was an Indian civil servant who was member of the Indian Civil Service and served as the 8th Governor of Karnataka.

Govind Narain
8th Governor of Karnataka
In office 2 August 1977 – 15 April 1983
Preceded by	Uma Shankar Dikshit
Succeeded by	A. N. Banerji
11th Defence Secretary of India
In office 19 May 1973 – 31 May 1975
Preceded by	K. B. Lall
Succeeded by	D. R. Kohli
7th Home Secretary of India
In office 1 January 1971 – 18 May 1973
Preceded by	Lallan Prasad Singh
Succeeded by	Nirmal Kumar Mukarji
Personal details
Born	(1916-05-05)5 May 1916 Mainpuri, British Raj
Died	3 April 2012(2012-04-03) (aged 95) New Delhi, India

He formerly served as Defence Secretary of India (1973 to 1975), Home Secretary of India (1971 to 1973) and the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh (1958 to 1961).^[1] He is considered ^{[by whom?]} to be one of India's most senior and respected civil servants.

He also served as Adviser and Secretary to the King of Nepal from 1951 to 1954.

Early childhood and education

He was born into a Kayastha family in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh and educated at the University of Allahabad and University of Oxford.

Career

He was selected as a member of the Indian Civil Service in 1939 and served as District Collector of Farrukhabad and Aligarh.

Ministry of Defence

He served as 11th Defence Secretary of India (1973 to 1975) and also as Secretary to the Government of India in Department of Defence Production (DDP) from 1968 to 1970.

Ministry of Home Affairs

As Home Secretary, he played a crucial role during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He then became Defence Secretary, a post he occupied between 1973 and 1975. He was also chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, and was deputised to build relations between India and Nepal in 1951 as Adviser to the King of Nepal.

Ministry of Health

He served as Secretary to the Government of India in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from 1966 to 1968.

Others

After retirement, he was affiliated with the Public Interest Legal Support and Research Trust, Shankara Vidya Kendra, Federation of Indo-German Society in India, and an NGO, Common Cause.^[2]

Political career

He was named Governor of Karnataka and held the post between 1977 and 1983. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2009.

Further reading

• Nehru to the Nineties - The Changing Office of Prime Minister in India (Publisher: Hurst; ISBN 9781850651802)
• Me and My Guru: A Personal Memoir of Spiritual Awakening and Growth (Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan; ISBN 9788184302912)
• On the Corridors of Power: the Theatre of the Absurd (Publisher: Partridge Publishing India; ISBN 9781482872996)
• Legacy to Bureaucracy - Musings of an Indian Civil Servant (Publisher: Lancer Publishers & Distributors; ISBN 9780981537887)
• Relentless: An Autobiography (Publisher: Bloomsbury India; ISBN 9789386950352)