Former foreign secretary, Rajasthan governor SK Singh passed away today after a prolonged illness. Singh, 77, had been admitted in the ICU of Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi since November 5.
He is survived by his wife Manju Singh and two sons Shashank and Kaniska. According to government sources, Singh's body was taken to his residence at New Friends colony.
Born on January 24, 1932, Singh was a former Foreign Secretary and had become Rajasthan governor in September 2007 after his predecessor Pratibha Patil was nominated as a candidate for the post of the country's president.
Singh joined the IFS in 1954 and held several important assignments before he became the foreign secretary in February 1989. He was India's envoy to Pakistan between 1985 and 1989. Singh has also been India's ambassador to countries like Austria and Afghanistan.
He was the additional foreign secretary between 1979 and 1982 and the official spokesman of the government of India between 1969 and 1974. Prior to assuming the gubernatorial assignment in Rajasthan, Singh was governor of Arunachal Pradesh from December 2004 to September 2007.
He received his bachelor's degree in history, Hindi and Sanskrit from St John's College, Agra and did his MA in history from Agra University, from where he also completed his LLB.
