Govind Mohan (L), Vikram Misri (C), & Atal Dulloo (R): 1989 Batch Officers Leading The Way
Amid escalating tensions and an eventual ceasefire between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, some individuals came to the forefront and received high praise for their contributions towards critical government efforts. Among the many, some of them were Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, and Home Secretary Govind Mohan.
Interestingly, all three notable figures have something in common: they are from the 1989 UPSC batch.
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UPSC Final List of 1989 officers.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri (IFS)
A common face during the past few days has been Vikram Misri. A 1989 batch senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and Kashmiri Pandit, Misri has been the public face of India’s diplomatic efforts. Born in Srinagar, he pursued his early studies in the valley and later did his undergrad in History from Delhi University’s Hindu College. Misri then did his MBA degree from XLRI in Jamshedpur.
Before joining the government, he reportedly worked in advertising for three years. On July 15 last year, he became India’s Foreign Secretary.
Notably, he has also served as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and Private Secretary to three Indian Prime Ministers: I.K. Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi.
J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo (IAS)
A Kashmiri Pandit, Dulloo became the first native chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Union Territory (UT) after the bifurcation of the erstwhile J&K state into two UTs on August 5, 2019.
The 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory cadre previously served as secretary, Department of Border Management, under the home ministry before his repatriation to J&K Union Territory.
As a seasoned bureaucrat, Dulloo had held various assignments in J&K in the past few decades.
Home Secretary Govind Mohan (IAS)
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the 1989-batch IAS officer of the Sikkim cadre now serves as the Union Home Secretary following the retirement of Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
After pursuing B.Tech from Institute of Technology from Benaras Hindu University and later a PG diploma in management from IIM Ahmedabad, Mohan headed the Ministry of Culture and has also worked as the divisional head of the Union Territories (UT) division.
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Interestingly, 1989 batch officers hold the position in five states and two key UTs of strategic importance namely Delhi and J&K. The 1991 batch officers represent a maximum of seven states as Chief Secretary.
