Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was an Indian politician and a veteran independence activist. He was one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand (then in United Provinces) and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.
He was born on September 10, 1887 in Khunt, a tiny village in District Almora, U.P. and brought up in a atmosphere far removed from the currents of national resurgence. He had a brilliant academic career, which he rounded off with a LL.B. degree from the Allahabad University in 1909. He joined the Bar at Naini Tal the same year and soon built up a flourishing practice. He, however, abandoned it in answer to mahatma Gandhi's inspiring call for non-violent, non-cooperation and plunged into active politics in the early twenties. He became a Member of the U.P. Legislative Council in 1923 and was elected President of U.P. Congress Committee in 1927.
He served as the Chief Minister of U.P. for an unbroken period of eight years. It was under his inspiring stewardship that administrative, educational and agrarian reforms, including the abolition of the Zamindari System, were launched. In December, 1954 he was called upon to join the Union Cabinet as Home Minister. As Union Home Minister, he showed great skill in handling the intricate and difficult task of States recognisation and in securing a broad consensus in favour of the official language policy. He took special interest in Kashmir affairs.
He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1959.
On 10.9.1965 The P & T Department brought out a special commemorative stamp on the occasion of the seventy-eighth birth anniversary of Govind Ballabh Pant .
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