Born on 8th April, 1949 in a Sikh family in an historic village Bhungarni, District Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Dr. A.S. Balgir completed his preliminary education from Goverment Primary School, Bhungarni in 1959. He passed middle standard examination from nearby village Public High School Panshta -Narur, Distt. Kapurthala in 1963 under Punjab Education Board and matriculation examination under Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1965 with merit scholarships topping in school every time. He passed Pre-University and Pre Engg. examinations from D.A.V. College Julundhur, Punjab in 1968. He did his B.Tech. (Metallurgy) from Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh (Deemed to be University) in 1972; M.B.A. from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab) in 1979 and was awarded Ph.D. in Management (Faculty of Management Studies) from University of Delhi in 1992. He has been a qualified Lead Assessor in Quality Management Systems (M/s Kennedy & Donkin Engg. Ltd.,U.K.), Environment Management Systems (M/s DNV, Norway), Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems (M/s SEQM Ltd.,U.K.) as well as NABL Assessor for Laboratory Quality Management Systems (NITS, BIS, India). He is qualified Master's Trainer and Assessor in Maturity Models from Quality Council of India, New Delhi.
Selected through Union Public Service Commission in 1976 for a class-I gazetted post, Dr. Balgir served Indian Ordnance Factories under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India for 32 years and superannuated from senior administrative grade as Additional General Manger in 2009. He was one of the founder members of Defence training institutes like National Academy of Defence Production,Ambajhari,Nagpur and Ordnance Factories Institute of Learning,Dehradun. As management representative, he steered and strengthened ISO and NABL movement in different Ordnance Factories. He established all India record of steel production in 1974.
His articles on management topics have been published in reputed journals He wrote "Foreword" to the book "Philosophy of Life - Connecting Dots," authored by Shri Ashok Kumar Sood, published by Patridge(India) Ltd in 2016.The book was released by Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki, Hon'ble Governor of Haryana on 24th October 2017 at Haryana Raj Bhawan. He attended number of International conferences and presented papers in World Congress on Total Quality.
He won national & international awards in steel production, grey iron castings, defence brass items, HRD, record quality control inspection, TQM and zero level defects.
Justice B. N. Krishna, Chairman 6th Pay Commission and his team selected his last Ordance Factory of service, Machine Tools Prototype Factory Ambernath (Maharestra), as a role model factory for the entire country to emulate its procedures and practices, in their final report submitted to Govt. of India in March 2008 (Page 267-269).
He delivered A.S. Sekhon Memorial Lecture at A.G.M. of the Institution of Engineers, Chandigarh Chapter in Nov. 2016. Based on his contribustions, he has been decleared as an Outstanding Engineering Personality by The Insitution of Engineers, Kolkata.
He has been invited as Chief Guest at number of social and technical functions,
He has published number of short stories which appeared in Punjabi Journals.
Dr. Balgir had been associated with number of social activities since his childhood. During his engineering days he took keen interest in running Adult's Night School as its General Secretary in PEC(1968- 1972) for the most underprivileged persons. During Bangladesh liberation movement, he collected funds for Bangladesh refugees in 1971. He founded People's Development Centre (www.http://pdcsociety.org), a non-profit NGO om 1992 for the upliftment of poorest of the poor brilliant children belowing to remote corners of India. He was founder member of Sarva Dharma Maitri Sangh, Katni (M.P.), an inter-religious body which has been serving the cause of leprosy patients since 1999.
He was promoter & advisor of Kanchanjanga Trekkers Club (Regd.) Muradnagar (U.P.) which scaled Khardung-La Pass (World's highest motorable road) M.S.L. 18,384 ft. on bicycles. The event is mentioned in Limca Book of Records, Edition 1994.
He visited C.I.S. in 1989 and U.K. in 2017.
He is Life Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India), Indian Institute of Metals (Kolkata), All India Management Association, New Delhi and FMS Alumni Association, Delhi.
At present Dr. Balgir is visiting faculty to Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh (Deemed to be University) and National Institute of Technical Teacher's Training and Research(NITTR) Chandigarh on Total Quality Management. He is Ph.D.guide to 2 research students. He is empanelled N.A.B.L. and BIS Assessor and has assessed 63 reputed establishments for their survelliancer and renewal assessments. The proceeds of his earnings go to further the cause of People's Development Centre.