Gurmeet Singh 8th Governor Uttarakhand: Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd) is a former Deputy Chief of the Indian Army who is currently serving as the Governor of Uttarakhand. Introducing a very famous name, who has served the Indian Army for almost 4 decades and was awarded various medals. Retd Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM has served in the titular positions with the Indian Army.
He did his schooling at Sainik School, Kapurthala, trained at the National Defense Academy Pune in Punjab, and was commissioned in the Assam Regiment. He has also done M.Phil twice in Chennai and Devi Ahilya Bai University, Indore. He has also been a Research Scholar with JNU and ICS in 2003-04.
(Retd) Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh 8th Governor Uttarakhand
Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh is excited about his new role as the new Governor of Uttarakhand. During his service in the army, he has been posted at Banbasa in the Champawat district. The retired army officer is most happy that he has got the opportunity to serve Veerbhoomi. He said that he would make every effort to live up to the expectations of the people of the state.
Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh has been appointed as the 8th Governor Uttarakhand. This is the first appointment of a former top army officer as governor in this Himalayan state with a military-dominated population. The newly appointed governor is already aware of the nature and unsanitary conditions of the frontier state. The special thing is that they have a feeling of spirituality built in Uttarakhand.
He is the second Sikh to be appointed to the governor’s post in Uttarakhand, after the state’s first governor, Surjit Singh Barnala.
He was Director Military Operations handling China operational and military-strategic issues and was also Additional DGMO. Participated in numerous Expert Group, Joint Working Group, Annual Dialogue, and China Study Group meetings for over one decade. He visited China seven times for important military diplomatic and border/ LAC meetings. He led Military Delegation to China ( Beijing, Urumchi, and Shanghai) in 2012.
He is a graduate of the Defense Services Staff Course and National Defense College. Has done two M Phil from Chennai and Indore University on Defense matters. He researched India’s China Boundary Issue at the Institute of Chinese Studies/ Jawaharlal Nehru University during his study leave from the Indian Army. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from Chennai University on ‘Smart power for National Security dynamics’.
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Brief biography Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh –
- Schooling from Sainik School Kapurthala, Punjab.
- Graduated from National Defense College and Defense Services Staff
- Two M. Phil degrees from the Universities of Chennai and Indore
- He is doing his Ph.D. on the topic ‘Smart Power for National Security Dynamics’ from the University of Chennai.
Achievement of Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh –
- Retired from the Indian army in 2016. a recipient of four presidents and two Army Chief Awards from distinguishing & Gallantry.
- Awards – Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal.
- superannuated as a Deputy Chief Army Staff after 40 years of service.
- Distinctively held two PSO appointments which include adjutant general and general deputy chief army staff.
- Played a crucial role in maintaining international relations.
- Visited china seven-time for Export Group/Joint Working Group/ Annual Dialogue
- Led military delegation to Beijing, Urumchi, and Shanghai and went to Pakistan twice as a delegation for defense-related talks.
- He was a military observer in Iran with United Nations on Iran- Iraq border.
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List of governors of Uttarakhand
Following is the list of the governors of Uttarakhand since its inception on 9 November 2000 –
| S.no | Name of Governors | From | To | Total Term |
| 1st. | Surjit Singh Barnala | 9 November 2000 | 7 January 2003 | 2 years, 59 days |
| 2nd. | Sudarshan Agarwal | 8 January 2003 | 28 October 2007 | 4 years, 293 days |
| 3rd. | Banwari Lal Joshi | 29 October 2007 | 5 August 2009 | 1 year, 280 days |
| 4th. | Margaret Alva | 6 August 2009 | 14 May 2012 | 2 years, 282 days |
| 5th. | Aziz Qureshi | 15 May 2012 | 7 January 2015 | 2 years, 237 days |
| 6th. | Krishan Kant Paul | 8 January 2015 | 25 August 2018 | 3 years, 229 days |
| 7th. | Baby Rani Maurya | 26 August 2018 | 8 September 2021 | 3 years, 13 days |
| 8th. | Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh | 11 September 2021 | Present |
Frequently Asked Questions About governors of Uttarakhand
Who was the first governor of Uttarakhand?
The state of Uttarakhand (formerly known as Uttaranchal) came into existence on 9 November 2000 as the 27th state of the Republic of India. Dehradun was redesignated as Raj Bhavan and the first Governor of Uttarakhand, Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala, was the first Governor of Uttarakhand for 2 years, 59 days from 9 November 2000 to 7 January 2003.
Who was the first woman governor of uttarakhand?
On 6 August 2009, Margaret Alva became the first woman governor of Uttarakhand. She held this position till 14 May 2012, at which time she was appointed as the governor of Rajasthan, a more politically important region.
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