Prithvi Nath Dhar (P.N. Dhar, 1 March 1919 – 19 July 2012) was an Indian economist and the head of Indira Gandhi's secretariat and one of her closest advisers.[2]

Prithvi Nath Dhar
In office
1970–2012
Personal details
Born(1919-03-01)1 March 1919[1]
Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Died19 July 2012(2012-07-19) (aged 93)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Alma materHindu College, University of Delhi

Early life and career

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P. N. Dhar was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family[3] on 1919 to Dr. Vishnu Hakim and Radha Hakim. His wife was the singer-writer Sheila Dhar. He attended Tyndale Biscoe School in Srinagar, India, and then studied economics at the Hindu College of the University of Delhi.[citation needed]

Dhar served as principal secretary to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the tumultuous days of the Emergency (1973–1977).[citation needed] He was one of her close advisors, who were collectively known as the "Kashmiri Mafia".[4]

He was also a professor of economics at Delhi University for many years and the director and emeritus professor of the Institute of Economic Growth in New Delhi.[citation needed]

He was one of the founders of the Delhi School of Economics. He served as the United Nations assistant secretary general, research and policy analysis, in New York from 1978 to 1986.

He was awarded the Padma Vibushan, India's second highest civilian award in 2008.[citation needed]

His memoir, Indira Gandhi, the Emergency, and Indian Democracy was published in 2000.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Who's who in India. Guide Publications. 1986. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ^ "PN Dhar, a close advisor of Indira Gandhi, passes away". The Times of India. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Remembering Sheila". The Times of India. 28 July 2001. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  4. ^ Rukun Advani (2 February 2002). "A Little Outside the Ring". Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.