Nirmal Kumar Mukarji
Encyclopedia
Nirmal Kumar Mukarji IAS
ICS (9 January 1921 – 29 August 2002) was an India
n administrator and the last member of the Indian Civil Service to serve. In the course of a long career he was Home Secretary
, Cabinet Secretary
, and eventually Governor of Punjab
. He died in 2002.
Born in Delhi to Satyanand Mukarji, Principal of St. Stephen's College, Delhi
, Mukarji was educated at St. Stephen's and subsequently entered the ICS at the top of the last intake, in 1943.
cadre, he was assigned as the confidential secretary of the Governor of Punjab, a post that he held till Independence in 1947. As part of the assignment, he was privy to most discussions involving the Partition of the Punjab between India and Pakistan, and part of the team that divided government resources between the two new Punjabs. Choosing to join India in 1947, he was appointed District Collector
in a number of sensitive border districts, particularly Ferozepur.
After serving his time in the districts, he was moved to Delhi
where he was put in charge of the Ministry for Irrigation, which at the time was planning the Bhakra-Nangal Dam, a project dear to Jawaharlal Nehru
's heart. After the commissioning of the dam, he was moved back to Punjab and then to Jammu and Kashmir
as Chief Secretary
of those two states, after spending two years at Harvard's Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs
It was as Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir that he had to organise the defence of the state during the Bangladesh War of 1971.
Following the 1971 war, he was assigned to the Home Ministry as its senior bureaucrat. His time as Home Secretary was marked with clashes with the then Prime Minister
, Indira Gandhi
, and her 'kitchen cabinet', including her son Sanjay Gandhi
. On the morning that the Emergency was declared in 1975, he was transferred out of the Home Ministry and its control over the Police force to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
His reputation for independence and the fact that he was the only senior bureaucrat of the time visibly seen to be unconnected with the excesses of the Emergency meant that when the Janata
government of 1977 took office, he was their choice for Cabinet Secretary
. In that position, he helped draft the Constitutional Amendments that removed the alterations made by Mrs. Gandhi to the Constitution during the Emergency that impacted on Fundamental Rights
. After Morarji Desai
was removed from office, he saw an increase in the responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary's post as Charan Singh found himself unable or unwilling to chair Cabinet meetings.
Following Indira Gandhi's re-election in 1980, he continued to serve as Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Gandhi making a point of not asking for his resignation, until he retired, the last ICS officer to do so.
and also contributed to The Hindu
and Frontline (magazine)
. He continued to take considerable interest in issues of bureaucratic reform, administrative devolution, and the affairs of Punjab state
. It was as an expert on Panchayati Raj
that he was in charge of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi for some years in the mid-1980s, as Rajiv Gandhi
put into motion plans for increasing the degree of administrative power assigned to those village-level organisations.
burst into prominence in Punjab, the government at first sent law-and-order hardliners to the troubled state; Arjun Singh
and then Siddhartha Shankar Ray
both served as Governors of that state while it was under President's Rule
. When the V.P. Singh government came into power in 1989, it chose to change the approach to the insurgency that the state government should take, and so appointed Mukarji as the head of the state administration and the Governor of the state.
Mukarji quickly reduced the intensity of counter-insurgency operations and put into place a timetable that would see the end of President's Rule and fresh elections. This approach paid off within a few years.
's 50th Anniversary celebrations in Mussourie in 1997, where he shocked the assembly by calling, in his speech, for an end to the all-India tenured services, and their replacement by specialised professionals.
He also founded and was the Chairman of the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, one of the first organisations to argue for people-to-people or 'third-track' diplomacy as a method of reducing tensions between the two countries.
He died in August 2002 in Delhi.
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
ICS (9 January 1921 – 29 August 2002) was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n administrator and the last member of the Indian Civil Service to serve. In the course of a long career he was Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary
A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...
, and eventually Governor of Punjab
Governor of Punjab
Governor of Punjab may refer to:* List of Governors of Punjab , of the pre-independence Punjab province of British India* List of Governors of Punjab , of Punjab state in India...
. He died in 2002.
Born in Delhi to Satyanand Mukarji, Principal of St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St...
, Mukarji was educated at St. Stephen's and subsequently entered the ICS at the top of the last intake, in 1943.
In the ICS
Assigned to the PunjabPunjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
cadre, he was assigned as the confidential secretary of the Governor of Punjab, a post that he held till Independence in 1947. As part of the assignment, he was privy to most discussions involving the Partition of the Punjab between India and Pakistan, and part of the team that divided government resources between the two new Punjabs. Choosing to join India in 1947, he was appointed District Collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
in a number of sensitive border districts, particularly Ferozepur.
After serving his time in the districts, he was moved to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
where he was put in charge of the Ministry for Irrigation, which at the time was planning the Bhakra-Nangal Dam, a project dear to Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
's heart. After the commissioning of the dam, he was moved back to Punjab and then to Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
as Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
of those two states, after spending two years at Harvard's Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs
Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs was founded as the Center for International Affairs in 1958 and assumed its current name in 1998 following an endowment by Albert and Celia Weatherhead and the Weatherhead Foundation. The aim of the Center was to confront the worlds problems as...
It was as Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir that he had to organise the defence of the state during the Bangladesh War of 1971.
Following the 1971 war, he was assigned to the Home Ministry as its senior bureaucrat. His time as Home Secretary was marked with clashes with the then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, and her 'kitchen cabinet', including her son Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi was an Indian politician. The younger son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi, he was a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family...
. On the morning that the Emergency was declared in 1975, he was transferred out of the Home Ministry and its control over the Police force to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
His reputation for independence and the fact that he was the only senior bureaucrat of the time visibly seen to be unconnected with the excesses of the Emergency meant that when the Janata
Janata
Janata, is a Hindi word for 'the populace; or the people'. Following the first Janata coalition in the 1970s between the Lok Dal, the Congress and the Socialist Party, it has become part of the name of a number of federal - and state-level, present and historical, political parties in India or...
government of 1977 took office, he was their choice for Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary
A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...
. In that position, he helped draft the Constitutional Amendments that removed the alterations made by Mrs. Gandhi to the Constitution during the Emergency that impacted on Fundamental Rights
Fundamental Rights in India
'Part III - Fundamental Rights' is a charter of rights contained in the Constitution of India. It guarantees civil liberties such that all Indians can lead their lives in peace and harmony as citizens of India...
. After Morarji Desai
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and the fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977–79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress...
was removed from office, he saw an increase in the responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary's post as Charan Singh found himself unable or unwilling to chair Cabinet meetings.
Following Indira Gandhi's re-election in 1980, he continued to serve as Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Gandhi making a point of not asking for his resignation, until he retired, the last ICS officer to do so.
After Retirement
Following his retirement, he wrote a regular column for The StatesmanThe Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
and also contributed to The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
and Frontline (magazine)
Frontline (magazine)
Frontline is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu Group of publications from Chennai, India. Narasimhan Ram is the editor-in-chief of the magazine. As a current affairs magazine, it covers domestic and International news. Frontline gives a prominent place to various...
. He continued to take considerable interest in issues of bureaucratic reform, administrative devolution, and the affairs of Punjab state
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. It was as an expert on Panchayati Raj
Panchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...
that he was in charge of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi for some years in the mid-1980s, as Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
put into motion plans for increasing the degree of administrative power assigned to those village-level organisations.
Governor of Punjab
When the Khalistan movementKhalistan
Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh state, called Khālistān , carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region of India, depending on definition....
burst into prominence in Punjab, the government at first sent law-and-order hardliners to the troubled state; Arjun Singh
Arjun Singh
Arjun Singh was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress party. He was the Union Minister of Human Resource Development in the Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004 to 2009....
and then Siddhartha Shankar Ray
Siddhartha Shankar Ray
Siddhartha Shankar Ray was an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress. He was a prominent barrister, Punjab Governor and Education minister of India...
both served as Governors of that state while it was under President's Rule
President's rule
President's rule is the term used in India when a state legislature is dissolved or suspended and the state is placed under direct federal rule...
. When the V.P. Singh government came into power in 1989, it chose to change the approach to the insurgency that the state government should take, and so appointed Mukarji as the head of the state administration and the Governor of the state.
Mukarji quickly reduced the intensity of counter-insurgency operations and put into place a timetable that would see the end of President's Rule and fresh elections. This approach paid off within a few years.
After Punjab
After leaving the Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh, Mukarji continued to write on issues related to Punjab; his last major public appearance was as the keynote speaker and chief guest at the Indian Administrative ServiceIndian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
's 50th Anniversary celebrations in Mussourie in 1997, where he shocked the assembly by calling, in his speech, for an end to the all-India tenured services, and their replacement by specialised professionals.
He also founded and was the Chairman of the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, one of the first organisations to argue for people-to-people or 'third-track' diplomacy as a method of reducing tensions between the two countries.
He died in August 2002 in Delhi.