Former bureaucrat Ashok Kundra believes in giving

Tribune News Service

Depankar Sharda

Chandigarh, May 1

“Whoever is happy will make others happy.” This quote by Anne Frank best suits 82-year-old former top bureaucrat Ashok Kundra.

The retired 1966 batch IAS officer, Kundra yesterday donated Rs 2 crore to the Post Graduate Institute (PGI) Poor Patients Welfare Fund (PPWF). “There’s a time in life when one comes to know about the hardships in a human’s life. The value of giving is more than gaining. I am happy to contribute a small happiness to someone’s life,” said Kundra, who stays in Sector 10 here.

My bit for poor patients

I have seen life’s value at the PGIMER. Many patients can’t afford treatment and just surrender to life. I tried to do my bit with this contribution to the fund. An endowment will be made of Rs 2 crore and the interest used for the treatment of poor patients. — Ashok Kundra, former bureaucrat

Kundra had held many key posts in Punjab and in various Central Government departments during his 36 years of service in the Indian bureaucracy. His wife, Sunanada Kundra is a retired principal of Home Science College, Sector 10. One of his sons is a well-known bureaucrat and another a doctor in the US.

“I have seen life’s value at the PGIMER. Many patients can’t afford treatment and just surrender to life. I tried to do my bit with this contribution to the fund. An endowment will be made of Rs 2 crore and the interest used for the treatment of poor patients,” he added.

Kundra has also created a corpus for his alma mater, Government College, Hoshiarpur. “It’s very less and covers a handful of students. My college life has played an important role in my life. There was a time when we expected some help to get books and proper coaching. There must be many students, who are really talented, but lack resources. It’s a small effort towards my alma mater, which holds a close place to my heart,” added Kundra.

A soft-spoken Kundra, who last held the charge of Secretary, Mines, Government of India, added: “Life is not easy for everyone, but we can help each other in the best possible way. There’s no other noble way to dedicate our life towards human welfare.

“College life was highly enjoyable as with some hard and divine grace I did very well. Teachers encouraged me. I topped in MA Economics. Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh, who was then a professor at Panjab University, offered me a job of research assistant but I didn’t join as I had to appear for the IAS exam. My father and my teachers were the main source of inspiration,” he added.

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