R.N. Prasher, IAS (Retd.)

R. N. Prasher, I.A.S. (retd.), has a long and distinguished career as a public servant and administrator.

In his first term as Deputy Secretary and Joint Secretary in Home Department in Haryana  from 1980-84, he worked extensively on terrorism issues in Punjab, and then in his second stint from 1990-92, he again took the terrorists head-on, even seizing newspapers repeatedly for publishing terrorists’ handouts. He has also spent time working with the World Bank to advise Bangladesh on road safety and with Haryana’s Irrigation Department to handle cases in the Supreme Court regarding water rights.

He also created a unique Highway Patrol System during his time at Haryana, which saved 800 lives in four years. He was later given the UK’s Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for his work there.

Mr. Prasher has also spent time as Chairman of the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission and as Principal Secretary of Irrigation, where his expertise helped him advise the state government on a number of issues after retirement.

The retired bureaucrat has authored two books: ‘The Last Pass,’ an allegorical story of the journey of life, which was published in Marathi translation also; and a book of poetry in Hindi. He also contributed poetry in English to various publications.

Apart from writing, he loves wood and stone carving and insect and bird photography. He is also a seasoned trekker and has trekked extensively across India, with treks to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet and various high altitude areas in Uttarkashi, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, and Ladakh districts on his resume. He trekked for a month from Katra to Vaishno Devi shrine and back every day to pay obeisance.

Mr. Prasher has a long experience driving solo frequently in the Himalayas. During the first two months of 2016, he drove solo 9000 km from Chandigarh to Kanyakumari via the West Coast and back via Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Nagpur.