Sudarshan Agarwal : New Governor Of Sikkim

Sudarshan Agarwal is the newly appointed Governor of Sikkim. He took the oath on 19th August 2007. He has been served as the Governor of the state of Uttarkhand since January 2003. Sudarshan Agarwal is a unique personality, who maintains the sense of humility, simplicity and integrity. Sudarshan Agarwal served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

Sudarshan Agarwal was born on 19th June 1931. Sudarshan Agarwal joined the judicial service of Punjab and Delhi in 1956, after completing his education. Till 1971 he served as a judicial officer. Shri Agarwal joined as the Rajya Sabha Secretariat in the year 1971. He served the post with distinction in various capacities till 1981. After that he was brought up to the top post of Secretary General to the Rajya Sabha. For a period of 12 years, he held this office.

In 1986, while still holding this office, he was promoted to the rank and status of cabinet Secretary to the Government of India. He was appointed to the National Human Rights Commission, after his retirement from the Rajya Sabha. With the rank and status of a Judge of the Supreme Court, he joined the Human Rights Commission. In June 2001, he retired from the NHRC. Shri Agarwal, on January 08, 2003, was sworn in as the second Governor of the newly created state of Uttaranchal.

Sudarshan Agarwal has been significantly allied with a number of social and charitable causes, apart from holding high public office. He has been the President of the high-status Delhi Gymkhana Club for two years. Over four decades he has shown his dedication to the noble principles of the Rotary Movement. He is considered as the distinguished Rotarian. He has been a major donor to the Rotary Foundation. He, as a director from 1987-1989, also delineated South-East Asia on the board of Rotary International and also served as the Chairman of Rotary Foundation India. The Rotary Blood Bank was set up under his headship and special guidance, at a cost of over Rs 5 crores.

Shri Agarwal has also been vigorously implicated with the efforts of Rotary to exterminate polio. He carries out this spirit of social activism to Uttaranchal too. Sudarshan Agarwal has in person monitored major developments in the state in the fields of education and health. Two initiatives of his are "The Him Jyoti Foundation" and the "Him Karuna" . The Loomba Foundation and the Jain Samaj support these initiatives. They are continuously striving to bring hope to the families of hundreds of praiseworthy students from the remote areas of Uttaranchal.

A state of the art blood bank was established in Dehradun with the support of ONGC and the Indian Medical Association after his personal involvement. Being a trustee of the Rotary service to Humanity Awards Trust and the Rotary Manav Sewa Award Trust, Shri Agarwal has campaigned tirelessly to weed out corruption from public life. He has traveled extensively in India and abroad and has represented the country in numerous International Conferences.

Shri Agarwal is married to Smt. Usha Agarwal and the couple has two children, a son and a daughter who are distinguished professionals in their respective careers of advertising and academics. With a soft-spoken nature, a caring and compassionate personality, integrity and a commitment to the highest standards of public service, Shri Agarwal is an inspiration for all those who believe in the moral authority of the common citizen.