Noteworthy Mention

Shri B. N. Navalawala is currently the Advisor to Chief Minister of Gujarat for the matters pertaining to Water Resources sector as well as he is the Chairman, Experts’ Advisory Group for Kalpasar Project in Gujarat State. With illustrious academic track record, he graduated (in Civil Engineering) in year 1963 from L.D. College of Engineering, Gujarat University.  He joined the Civil Service in the year 1966 through UPSC Examination. During his 36 years’ distinguished civil service, he held a number of important positions both at the level of state Govt. and the central Govt. and he  retired as the Secretary to Govt. of India, Ministry of Water Resources. He was the sixth Gujarati who rose to the position of secretary to Government of India. Then, he held the constitutional position as the Member of Union Public Service Commission with the tenure up to 14-4-2007. He is the first Gujarati officer to have been appointed to this constitutional position. 

  Shri Navalawala is an internationally renowned water-resources expert and he is the first Asian to have been elected in September, 2001 as the Chairman of the Working Group of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage for Research and Development for Water Resources. Also, he is the first water resource official in the country to achieve the honour of being the recipient of an “Award of Excellence” in recognition of his “exceptional” contribution to ICID and World Food Security from the ICID in July, 2002. He represented India in the first International Congress on Irrigation Systems Transfer held in Mexico in 2000 as well as participated in the International Conference on Fresh Water, 2001, held at Bonn (Germany) in Dec. 2001. Also, he was the Chairman (February 1991 to June 1996) of Special Committee on History, Education, Training, Research and Future Developments of the Indian National Committee on Irrigation & Drainage.  

He has worked as a member on a number of important National Committees set up by the Government of India for policy formulation like Committee on   National   Rehabilitation Policy, Committee on   Inter-State Basin Organizations, Committee on Pricing of Irrigation Water etc. Also, it is to his credit that he delivered the prestigious Memorial Lectures namely 3rd H.P. Barua Memorial Lecture (1998), Dr. Visvesvaraya Memorial Lecture (2001 and 2010), Dr. Triguna Sen Memorial Lecture (2002) and 16th Dr. Kanwar Sain Memorial Lecture (2006).   Shri Navalawala has to his credit more than 140 papers as published at international and national level on crucial issues like Inter-State river-water disputes, economics of Irrigation projects, Water Pricing, Irrigation Management, Operation and Maintenance of Irrigation Systems, Flood Insurance, Water-Logging, Rehabilitation & Resettlement, Participatory Irrigation Management, Perspective Planning for Water Resources Development  etc.