Narinder Nath Vohra (born 5May1936), popularly referred as N. N. Vohra, is a retired 1959batch
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services along with the Indian ...
(IAS) officer of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
cadre who was the
12thgovernor of the Indian state of
Jammu and Kashmir. He was the first civilian governor of Jammu and Kashmir in eighteenyears after
Jagmohan.
As an IAS officer, Vohra has also served as
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India
The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India (PS to the PM) is the senior-most bureaucrat in, and the administrative head of, the Prime Minister's Office. The officeholder is generally a civil servant, commonly from the Indian Adminis ...
,
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
of India,
Defence Secretary
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
of India and
Defence Production Secretary of India.
From February2003 until he became the governor of the state, Vohra had been the
Government of India's interlocutor in
Jammu and Kashmir. He was awarded India's second highest
civilian honour, the
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") 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 without ...
, for his contributors to the field
civil service, in 2007.
Education
Vohra is a
postgraduate
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and ...
(
MA) and topper in English from
Panjab University
Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...
.
Vohra also was a
visiting fellow
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...
at
Queen Elizabeth House
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
,
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
.
Career
Before IAS
Before being appointed an
IAS officer
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services along with the Indian ...
, Vohra served as lecturer in the
Panjab University
Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...
.
As an IAS officer
Vohra served in key positions for both the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
and the
Government of Punjab, such as Secretary (Home), Commissioner and Secretary (Industries), Finance Commissioner, Commissioner (Urban Development), Secretary (Urban Development), Punjab's labour commissioner, Director (Information) and as Director (
Panchayati Raj
The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...
) in the
Government of Punjab;
as
Union Home Secretary,
Union Defence Secretary,
Union Defence Production Secretary,
additional secretary in the
Department of Defence of the
Ministry of Defence,
joint secretary
Joint Secretary to Government of India (often abbreviated as JS, GoI or Union Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary to Union of India) is a post under the Central Staffing Scheme and the third highest non-political executive rank in Government of I ...
in the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India.
The Minister of Health and Family Welfare ...
and as an area organiser in the
Cabinet Secretariat in the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
.
Vohra also served as a consultant to the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
.
Defence Production Secretary
Vohra was appointed
Union Defence Production Secretary by the
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), he assumed the office of
Defence Production Secretary on 1May1989,
and remitted it on 1March1990.
Defence Secretary
Vohra was appointed
Union Defence Secretary by ACC, he assumed the office of
Defence Secretary
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
on 1March1990,
and demitted it on 1April1993,
serving for more than three years.
Home Secretary
N. N. Vohra was appointed
Union Home Secretary by ACC after the
1993Bombay serial bomb blasts,
he assumed the office of
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
on 1April1993,
and demitted it and simultaneously
superannuated from service on 31May1994.
Post Retirement
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
N. N. Vohra was appointed
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India
The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India (PS to the PM) is the senior-most bureaucrat in, and the administrative head of, the Prime Minister's Office. The officeholder is generally a civil servant, commonly from the Indian Adminis ...
,
Inder Kumar Gujral
Inder Kumar Gujral (4 December 1919 – 30 November 2012) was an Indian diplomat, politician and freedom activist who served as the 12th prime minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998.
Born in Punjab, he was influenced by nationalist ...
, and the administrative head of
Prime Minister's Office by ACC in June1997, he assumed the office of
principal secretary on 1July1997,
and demitted it on 19March1998.
India’s special representative for carrying out the Jammu and Kashmir dialogue
N. N. Vohra was appointed India's
interlocutor for carrying out the Jammu and Kashmir dialogue by the Government of India in 2003,
he remained as India's
interlocutor till 2008,
when he was appointed
Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
The governor of Jammu and Kashmir was the head of the Indian state Jammu and Kashmir.
When India became independent, Hari Singh was the Maharaja of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. Technically he remained so until 17 November 1952, al ...
.
As the
interlocutor, Vohra had been holding wide-ranging discussions with both the elected representatives in the state and also the separatists in a bid to forge a common ground for the all-round development of the state.
Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
Vohra was appointed
Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
The governor of Jammu and Kashmir was the head of the Indian state Jammu and Kashmir.
When India became independent, Hari Singh was the Maharaja of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. Technically he remained so until 17 November 1952, al ...
(J&K) by
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...
in 2008,
his first act as the governor of J&K was to rescind the controversial
Amarnath shrine land transfer order.
Vohra was reappointed the
governor of Jammu and Kashmir
The governor of Jammu and Kashmir was the head of the Indian state Jammu and Kashmir.
When India became independent, Hari Singh was the Maharaja of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. Technically he remained so until 17 November 1952, al ...
by the president of India in 2013.
Vohra retired from the position of governor in August2018 and was replaced by
Satya Pal Malik, a
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
politician and a former
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of the states of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
and
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
.
Vohra ruled Jammu and Kashmir directly four times (
governor's rule
In India, President's rule is the suspension of state government and imposition of direct Union government rule in a state. Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, if a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional ...
) during his tenure as governor,
with his tenure as state governor being widely seen to be a positive one.
Awards and recognition
* Vohra was conferred the
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") 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 without ...
, India's second highest
civilian honour, for his contributions to the field of
civil service, in 2007.
Selected bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
Vohra Report
*
Governor of Jammu and Kashmir
The governor of Jammu and Kashmir was the head of the Indian state Jammu and Kashmir.
When India became independent, Hari Singh was the Maharaja of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. Technically he remained so until 17 November 1952, al ...
References
External links
*
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vohra, Narinder
1936 births
Living people
Punjabi people
Governors of Jammu and Kashmir
Vohra, Narinder Nath
Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service
Indian Home Secretaries
Indian Administrative Service officers
Defence Secretaries of India
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Panjab University alumni
Panjab University faculty
District magistrate