R.D. Pradhan (b. 1928) joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in the erstwhile Bombay state in 1952 and had a varied and interesting career at the state and Union level and as a UN civil servant. On 1 May 1960 he joined Y.B. Chavan, the chief minister of the newly formed state of Maharashtra, as his private secretary. He went to Delhi when Chavan became the defence minister of India in November 1962. In 1965 he joined the Ministry of Commerce and handled several landmark negotiations. In 1967 he was appointed as India’s Representative in Geneva to UNCTAD and GATT and later joined the UN. In 1982 he became the chief secretary to the Maharashtra government. In January 1985 he was appointed Union Home secretary. He worked closely with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and was awarded the Padma Bhushan on 26 January 1986. Mr. Pradhan is a prolific writer and has several books to his credit.
