A. K. Singh

Ajay Kumar Singh
Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar
In office 8 July 2013 – present
Preceded by	Bhopinder Singh
Succeeded by	None
Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry
In office 18 July 2014 – present
Preceded by	Virendra Kataria
Succeeded by	None

Lt. General Ajay Kumar Singh (Retd.) is the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.^[1] He is an alumnus of Sainik School Rewa and National Defence Academy. He is former Commander in Chief of Southern Command of Indian Army.^[2]

Singh was named 11th Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in July 2013 and took office on 8 July 2013.^[3] He was given additional responsibility of the administration of Puducherry in July 2014.

Lt Gen A K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, (Retd), the Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ex-General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, alumnus of National Defence Academy was commissioned into one of the oldest Regiments, the 7th Light Cavalry on 17 June 1973. Known for his high integrity and professionalism, the General has been at the forefront of all recent major initiatives to transform the Indian Army and is looked upon as a role model by large numbers in the Armed Forces.

One of the most highly trained and professional officers, he has schooled at some of the most prestigious training academies in the country and abroad. These include the Staff College at Camberley in the United Kingdom, having topped the Staff College entrance examination; Malinovski Tank Academy in Moscow; Royal College of Military Science, United Kingdom and the renowned National Defence Colleges in India and in Sweden. He achieved top honours in every course that he attended both in India and abroad, achieving a unique distinction of being the only officer to be trained both in Russia and NATO, at the height of Cold War. He has an M.Sc and M.Phil in Defence Studies in addition to his military qualifications. He is currently enrolled for a Ph.D from Pune University.

A top rank General of the Indian Army, he has been an outstanding and bold Tank Commander from a Young Officer with T 55 Tanks to General Officer Commanding with latest T 90 Tanks. The General has commanded the 7th Cavalry, a T-90 Tank Brigade, an Armoured Division and the most powerful Strike 1 (Corps), and has the distinction of conceiving and executing some of the largest ever maneuvers in recent times including two landmark exercises; Yodha Shakti in 2010 and Exercise Sudarshan Shakti in 2011, which displayed the might of the Indian Army and the Air Force in the Thar desert. Till January 2013, he headed the largest Command, the Southern Army, covering ten States and four Union Territories and 40 % of India's landmass.

The General is a keen Sportsman with profound inclination towards tough and adventurous sporting activities such as Cycle Polo and Horse Riding. For his exceptional and outstanding services, the General has been decorated with numerous awards. He was the Colonel of the Six Armoured Regiment i.e. 7th Light Cavalry, Scinde Horse, 5, 46, 51 and 74 Armoured Regiments.

After a distinguished and long service in the Armed Forces, Lt Gen (Retd) A K Singh was entrusted with the responsibility of Administrator/Lt Governor of A&N Islands. He took over as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 8 July 2013.

After taking over the top job, the Lt Governor has visited every nook and corner of the Islands, right from Port Blair to Indira Point - the southernmost tip of the Islands. He has tried very hard to reach out to the widespread hamlets of these Islands, understand the problems of the people on ground and take-up challenging tasks for meaningful development of these remote Islands. He has been working with a clear objective - "I am here only to serve the people and well being of the Islands is my foremost priority".

He has now become a known face - familiar to everybody, in these Islands, never hesitating to reach out to the general public. He has achieved many milestones in this very short time, since he took reins of the Islands' Administration. His motto is "Give more than you receive" and "work without fear or favour". Under his dynamic leadership Andaman is set to become a springboard for India's "Look East, Act East Policy".

He was concurrently also appointed as the Lt. Governor of Puducherry with effect from 17 July 2014. He has handled both these "Challenging Executive Assignments" with his known dynamism and people friendly, development oriented approach.

He has been actively involved in the Centre's policy making Team / Groups. Pertinent among them are the Governor's Sub Group appointed by the Hon'ble President in 2013-14 on Higher Level Education and Disaster Management. He is a member of NDC (National Development Council), consisting of Hon'ble Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers & Lt. Governor of Andamans. Also a part of "Team India" – Niti Aayog under the Hon'ble Prime Minister, comprising specified Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers and Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Lieutenant Governor is married to Smt Suneeti Singh, an accomplished educationist and a great animal lover. The couple has two sons, elder, Vishal, who is in Merchant Navy and the younger, Udai, a National Champion in Equestrian sports.

Awards and Decorations

Param Vishisht Seva Medal	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Sena Medal	Vishisht Seva Medal
Operation Vijay Medal	Operation Parakram Medal	Sainya Seva Medal	High Altitude Service Medal
50th Independence Anniversary Medal	30 Years Long Service Medal	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal

References

1. "Najeeb Jung to be new Delhi LG". Times Of India. 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
2. "Profile of Lieutenant Governor Andaman & Nicobar Islands". Andaman & Nicobar Administration. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
3. "Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands". Retrieved 12 March 2014.