Background: General anesthesia combined with controlled breathing and endotracheal intubation is a commonly used anesthetic technique. The present study compared Dexmedetomidine and Clonidine for improved quality of emergence from general anaesthesia. Materials & Methods:90 patients of either sexwere divided into groups I, II, and III. Group I got an intravenous (i.v.) injection of dexmedetomidine (1 μg/kg), group II received a clonidine injection (3 μg/kg), and group III received a placebo (normal saline) via a syringe pump over a 10-minute period. Before, during, and after extubation, the following parameters were noted: hemodynamic parameters, cough, agitation, shivering, time to extubation, sedation, visual analogue score (VAS), and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) scores.Results:BMI (kg/m2) 18.5- 24.9 was seen in 24, 25 and 27 and 25-29.9 in 6, 5 and 3 patients in group I, II and III respectively. ASA grading I was seen in 12, 13 and 14, grade II in 11, 13 and 13 and III in 7, 4 and 3 in group I, II and III respectively. The difference was non- significant (P< 0.05). Fentanyl consumption (g) was 107.3, 105.4 and 136.2, time to extubation was 19.1, 19.3 and 20.6, duration of surgery (min.) was 121.3, 125.7 and 127.4 and duration of anaesthesia (min.) was 135.6, 135.2 and 136.8 in group I, II and III respectively. The difference was non- significant (P>0.05). Adverse outcome was bradycardia in 3, 2 and 0 and hypotension in 4, 9 and 0 in group I, II and III respectively. The difference was significant (P< 0.05).Conclusion: In patients undergoing elective laparotomies, dexmedetomidine (1 μg/kg) and clonidine (3μg/kg) given over 10 minutes prior to extubation are similarly efficacious in increasing the quality of emergence from GA without postponing recovery and with stable hemodynamics.