Rajeshwar Dayal

Rajeshwar Dayal (12 August 1909 – 17 September 1999) was an Indian diplomat, writer, Ambassador of India to the former state of Yugoslavia and the Head of the United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC).

Dayal was born 12 August 1909 in Nainital. Dayal was one of the earlier officers of the Indian Foreign Service. He served as the Indian ambassador to the now defunct Yugoslavia from 1955 to 1958 and moved to the UN as a member of the United Nations Observation Group in Lebanon (UNOGIL) when the organization was established in 1958. Dayal, who had earlier served as the Indian Ambassador to France, was appointed the Head of the United Nations Operation in the Congo in September 1960 and held the post until May 1961. He also worked as the Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations. including a book on Panchayati Raj under the title, Panchayati Raj in India. The Government of India awarded him the second highest civilian award of the Padma Vibhushan, (then the highest civilian award) in 1969.

He died on 17 September 1999 in New Delhi, following a stroke.