Neeraj Rohmetra
Jammu, Apr 27: President, Pranab Mukherjee today has extended the term of State Governor, N N Vohra for another five-years.
EXCELSIOR had exclusively reported in today’s edition that the term of 76-year old former bureaucrat Vohra was likely to be extended for another term.
A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué issued in New Delhi today said, “The President of India has been pleased to appoint Shri Narinder Nath Vohra to be the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for a fresh term on expiry of his present term”.
Mr Vohra’s present term was coming to an end on June 25 this year. A recipient of prestigious Padma Vibhushan award, he had taken over as State Governor in 2008, when the agitation over the land use in Amarnath had led to heightened tension.
The State Governor who is presently in Mumbai due to personal engagements will reach the Summer capital on May 4, two days ahead of opening of Durbar, to resume his duties.
Sources stated that given his impressive track record as top bureaucrat of the country, Vohra had emerged as a preferred choice for the gubernatorial post for the second time. “Even as three other names including that of Deputy National Security Advisor, Nehchal Sandhu; Advisor to Prime Minister, T K A Nair and former Union Home Secretary, V K Duggal were under consideration; the choice finally fell on Mr Vohra in view of his vast experience in Jammu and Kashmir Affairs”, sources added.
Source emphatically stated that the non controversial track of Vohra as Governor of a sensitive State like Jammu and Kashmir and his good relations with the present political dispensation in the State – both ruling party and opposition had also turned the tide in his favour.
N N Vohra, who is actually a Punjab cadre IAS officer, had held several responsible positions under the State and Central Governments (1959-1994). During his bureaucratic tenure, Vohra also served as Union Home and Defence Secretary. He was recalled from his retirement to serve as Principal Secretary to the then Prime Minister I K Gujral during 1997-98.
Vohra as head of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has initiated several measures for improving the functioning of the two statutory bodies.
Vohra had also served as Centre’s points man for dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir State in February 2003 during the NDA regime. He held talks with various groups in the border State that had paved the way for first-ever interaction between Centre and separatist conglomerate. Subsequently, the Manmohan Singh Government decided to continue him as interlocutor on J&K on June 2, 2004.
On August 24, 2012 President Pranab Mukherjee, in his capacity as the Visitor of the Central University of Jammu, had appointed N N Vohra as the first Chancellor of the University for a period of five years.
Vohra was the first person without Army or intelligence background to occupy the gubernatorial post in the State since Jagmohan, who demited office in 1990.
Jagmohan was replaced by former RAW chief Girish Chandra Saxena. Saxena was succeeded by Gen K V Krishna Rao (retd) in 1993. However, Saxena returned to the post in 1998 till Lt Gen S K Sinha took over in 2003.
He was also member of the National Security Advisory Board from 1998 to 2001, when the NDA Government was in power. He also headed National Task Force on internal security and had co-chaired the India-European Union Round Table in 2001.
Vohra had also remained Chairman of prestigious Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis from 1999 to 2001 and chairman of Military History Review Committee between 2001 and 2002. He had also taken over as Union Home Secretary in the aftermath of serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993.
Prior to this, he was Additional Secretary Defence, Secretary Defence Production and Defence Secretary (1985-93) and also worked as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (1977-82).
He had also served as Home Secretary in Punjab during the most turbulent times, post Operational Blue Star and had successfully organized peaceful elections to the State Assembly there in 1985.
He has been writing and lecturing on governance and security issues and has edited over a dozen books and had also been awarded Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by Punjab University, Chandigarh in 2011.
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