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1 st January, 1921

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Details of the life sketch of
Shri Ram Krishna Trivedi-Governor of Gujarat

Born on January 1, 1921 in Myingyan, Burma, he was educated at Rangoon and Lucknow Universities with a brilliant academic record.

He joined the Civil Service on July 14, 1943 and after a distinguished record of service of 36 years both at the Centre and in the State of U.P. particularly in the field of planning and development, financial administration, education, management of public enterprises , and personnel administration, rising ultimately to the rank of Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, he superannuated in 1979. He was a memer of the Governor's Advisory Council twice during the President's Rule in U.P. in 1968 and 1970. He was also Adviser to the Governor of M.P. in 1980.

After holding charges of some of the most important districts of Uttar Pradesh like Allahabad and Kanpur as District Magistrate and Collector and later as Commissioner of the Allahabad Division, he joined the State Government first as Secretary to the Government in the Medical and Health Departments and later as Commissioner & Secretary, Finance Department, Commissioner and Secretary, Power, and Commissioner and Secretary, Home.

His experience in the field of education first as Additional Director of Uttar Pradesh and then as expert in training first as Vice - Principal of I.A.S. Training School and later at the National Academy of Administration - the scheme for the setting up of which was drawn up and executed by him - followed by his appointment as Vice - Chancellor, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, gave him a distinguished place in the field of education.

With his appointment as Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms in July 1975, he rose to the highest post available to a civil servant in the field of personnel administration and in that capacity he was responsible for initiating a large number of measures for reforms of administration both at the Centre and in the States.

Before taking over as Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, he worked as Additional Secretary in-charge of the Department of Civil Supplies and Co-operation, Government of India. He was also Additional Secretary in-charge of the Planning Commission when the Fifth Plan was finalised.

He gravitated to the public sector when he became Chairman of the U.P. State Electricity Board which happens to be the third largest public sector undertaking in the country. A large number of imaginative schemes for improving the power supply position in the State were introduced during his Stewardship. He was also the Chairman of the State Textile Corporation, the U.P. State Jinning Mills Company and the Management Committee of two new Co-operate Spinning Mills. He was also Chairman of the British India Corporation at Kanpur which had 14 large Industrial Units under its control in 1980.

He was Vice-President of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. He was also on the Advisory Board of the Asian Centre for Development Administration (an organisation under the ESCAP-UN) at Kuala Lumpur. He was the Vice President of the U.P. Sangeet Natak Academy and is also Vice - Chancellor, Kala Bharti, Lucknow. He was also a Member of the U.P. State Planning Commission during 1979-80.

He took over as Central Vigilance Commissioner in October, 1980, and in that capacity introduced several innovative measures to curb corruption in the public services. The steps initiated by him for preventive vigilance, particularly in the public sector undertakings, are now bearing fruit.

In June, 1982, he took over as Chief Election Commissioner of India and while working on that assignment, he held elections in the country virtually twice over in terms of the electorate covered. These included general elections to the Lok Sabha 1984 and such problem states as Punjab and Assam. A large number of electoral reforms suggested by him have attracted a meaningful debate.

He was awarded "Padma Bhushan" by the President of India on the Republic Day 1986 for his distinguished services to the nation.