Born in a small Rajasthan village, Shri B. L. Joshi began his career in 1957 with the police service in Rajasthan and moved to the Govt. of India in 1962. During a long service career, Shri Joshi worked in different administrative positions including in the Ministry of Home Affairs, with Prime Ministers - Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and Smt. Indira Gandhi, with the High Commissions of India at Islamabad and London, and with the Embassy of India at Washington D.C. He took voluntary retirement from the I.P.S. in 1991 and got involved in social work.

Shri Joshi moved to the United States of America in 1993, where he was Director with two large American Companies and also as Executive Director of an NGO located in California, which awards scholarships to bright and needy students in India. On his return from the U.S. in March 2000, Shri Joshi was appointed as 'Member' of the Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission, a position equivalent to a High Court Judge, where he worked for four years. He assumed the post of the Lt. Governor of Delhi on 09 June, 2004 and relinquished this responsibility on being appointed the Governor of Meghalaya in April 2007. In October 2007, he was appointed Governor of the State of Uttarakhand. Shri Joshi has travelled extensively in India and abroad. He takes keen interest in social work and is also associated with several social service groups and agencies.