Hari Singh

Who was Hari Singh?

Hari Singh was the Inspector General of Forests of India in the 1960s. Shri Hari Singh came from a find tradition of great Indian Foresters. Among several other awards, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire, a distinguishing honor bestowed upon him by the British Government. He held India's highest office of forest administration, namely, Inspector General of Forests, from 1964 to 1969, and graced innumberable national and international bodies on the development of the forestry sector.

He recognized the importance of forests and gave them a respectable place in the Five-Year Plans. He was instrumental in enacting the 42nd. amendment of the constitution which brought forestry into the concurrent list. In 1966 he was responsible for the creation of the Indian Forest Service to cater to the need for inter-state coordination and uniformity of approach in dealing with the scientific management of forests and the environment. The Indian Forest Service was the third all-India service to be created, the others being the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service.