The Diwan Bahadur Sir Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar CSI, an Indian civil servant and statesman who worked as the Prime Minister of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and thereafter as a minister in the very first cabinet of independent India, was born on March 31st, 1882, and died on February 10th, 1953. He served on the Indian Constitution’s drafting committee as well.
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About Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar
On March 31th, 1882, in Tanjore District, Madras Presidency, Gopalaswami Ayyangar was born. He attended the Wesley School, the Presidency, and the Law Colleges in Madras before working as an assistant professor at Pachaiyappa’s College for a brief time in 1904. He served as the Rajya Sabha’s leader, a “minister without portfolio” responsible for Kashmir Affairs, a committee member which drafted the Constitution of India, and the Minister for Railways. In his capacity as India’s representative on Kashmir affairs at the UN Security Council, he later drafted Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which gave Jammu and Kashmir autonomy.
Political Career of N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
He served as the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir’s prime minister from 1937 to 1943 before being named to the Council of State from 1943 to 1947. He oversaw the Committee for the Indianisation of the Army during the period. He was a Minister without Portfolio in Jawaharlal Nehru’s first cabinet from 1947 until 1948. Then, from 1948 to 1952, he worked as Minister of Railways and Transport, and then from 1952 to 1953, he was Minister of Defense.
N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar in Government of India
Constituent Assembly of India
Ayyangar was elected in 1946 to serve in the Constituent Assembly of India, which met in 1946 and was presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru. Ayyangar was chosen to serve on the Indian Constitution’s thirteen person Drafting Committee.
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Kashmir Affairs
In October 1947, shortly after Jammu and Kashmir became an independent state, Jawaharlal Nehru named Ayyangar as a cabinet minister without a portfolio and tasked him to handle Kashmiri concerns while maintaining overall control over Kashmir. As a result, conflict arose with the home minister Vallabhbhai Patel, who ordinarily should have been in charge of Kashmir and all the other princely states. In 1948, Ayyangar served as the head of the delegation that represented India at the UN in relation to the Kashmir dispute. He was chosen by Prime Minister Nehru in 1952 to represent India in the continuing discussions and negotiations concerning Kashmir at the Geneva talks. Article 370, which gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir local autonomy, was mostly drafted by Ayyangar.
Minister of Railways and Transport
The railways saw significant growth and expansion in services and equipment from 1948 to 1952 when he served as Minister for Railways and Transport. Under his leadership, the operation of the railways was smooth and productive. Surplus earnings were also recorded at this time in the railway budget.
Government Reorganisation, 1949
He produced his “Reorganisation of the Government Machinery” report in 1949 in an attempt to improve government operations and uphold public efficiency. The Union administration constituted the Defense Committee, the Economic Committee, the Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Committee, as well as the Administrative Organisation Committee as a result of his recommendation to create four standing committees.
Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar Honours
Ayyangar was a notable administrator and civil servant who held seven titles till 1947, including the highest title given by a British viceroy, “Diwan Bahadur”. Other honours bestowed upon him by the British government included a knighthood in the 1941 New Year Honours list, the companionship of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in the 1935 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours list and companionship of the Star of India (CSI) in the 1937 Coronation Honours list.
Frequently Asked Questions about N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar:
Who made Jammu and Kashmir constitution?
Who drafted article 370 of the Indian Constitution?
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