BG Deshmukh: A 'public servant' par excellence

The demise of former Union cabinet secretary was a major loss for activists as he was a guiding force to social causes in the city. An honest bureaucrat, BG Deshmukh was actively involved with NGOs and served society even after retirement. Eminent personalities share fond memories of the dynamic yet humble person with DNA.

Deshmukh had a knack of tackling any kind of problem
I interacted with BG Deshmukh in 1986-87 when he was the Union cabinet secretary. I was then the chairman and managing director of Oil India. I went to him in desperation due to political and bureaucratic meddling in the internal working of my company during Assam agitation. He made it known that there should be no interference in the internal working. Only honest, straightforward officers can display such firmness. Deshmukh carried this panache into social activism. He opened a chapter of Public Concern for Governance Trust (PCGT) in Pune on August 26, 2006.

He had a knack of going straight to root causes of any problem. For example, in Lavasa he said to find out if the stamp duty was correctly paid. The government had given large concessions in payment of the stamp duty. He even devised the idea of 'RTI Clinics', where people come for guidance on how to use the RTI Act.

He asked us to find out whether anyone takes note of the assets of our netas. PCGT along with the government and income tax authorities scrutinised the disclosures of politicians' asset. PCGT effort has certainly borne fruit. We will miss his guidance and single-minded life purpose of improving transparency in governance at the state and central levels. Most of all, we shall miss his acumen for diagnosing root causes and the manner of addressing grave issues.
— Maj Gen (retd) SCN Jatar, president, Nagrik Chetna Manch

His recommendations were highly honoured by ministers
I have known BG Deshmukh for last 10 years and there are so many memories of him. I invited him to be the chairman of the planning development board of Symbiosis along with other academicians. As a chairman he contributed immensely to the growth and development of Symbiosis.

He admired the work that Symbiosis was carrying out in the field of education. He even donated Rs12 lakh for Symbiosis, from which we have instituted a gold medal award for outstanding girl student every year, in the name of BG Deshmukh's late daughter, Jayati. Deshmukh was a humble person, a gentleman with no pretensions despite holding various important positions. Even after retirement as a Union cabinet secretary, his letters and recommendations were highly honoured by bureaucrats and ministers of the government. He never used harsh words and insisted on clarity and honesty. He was a democrat in all spirit.
— SB Mujumdar, president and founder director,
Symbiosis Society

A down-to-earth person, he was always reachable
Having a very friendly personality, he was a man of tremendous integrity and honesty. He was a source of inspiration for me and all of us at the KEM Hospital. You could call him up any time of the day for help and he would come to your rescue. A very down-to-earth and humane person, he was never unreachable for us. He had a brilliant mind and would always come up with the right solution to any kind of problem. A very fair person, his views had clarity. We at KEM will very much miss his presence and guidance.
— Dr Kurus Coyaji, medical director and trustee, KEM

Deeply respected, he took active interest in social causes
More than a colleague in the Governing Council of King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital in Pune, I was very close to him as his personal doctor. He had a fall in his house and it was critical to take him to the nearest hospital. An active person all through his life, he played a very committed role in the hospital. An extremely upright person, he had the quality and dynamism and at the same time was interested in varied social activities. Deeply respected, even after retirement, he took active interest in various social activities. After retirement, as a concerned citizen, Deshmukh together with former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro and Dr RK Anand, started Public Concern for Governance Trust (PCGT) in 2002 to fight corruption and promote good governance. A multi-faceted person, a straightforward man like him is highly required.
— Dr Farrokh Wadia, consultant physician and nephrologist

He was a very good writer and had authored many books
I first met BG Deshmukh in Mumbai when he was the chief secretary of Maharashtra and again in Delhi, when he was the secretary to the ministry of labour. Then I was a consultant to the International Labour Organisation of United Nations (UN) and knew Deshmukh as a civil servant.

Once he decided to retire, he was asked to become a governor but he refused and expressed his liking in serving the nation in a non-political manner. After his retirement, he worked with many NGOs. He was the vice-president of Community Aid and Sponsorship Programme (CASP) and also dedicated his services to the International Leprosy Union and International Longevity Centre. He was a very good writer and had authored many books. I would remember him as a person who never refused to help anyone in need.
— Sharadchandra Gokhale, president, International Longevity Centre