| Maj. Gen. (Retd.) B C Khanduri, AVSM | |
|---|---|
| Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state | |
| Preceded by | Narayan Dutt Tiwari |
| Succeeded by | Ramesh Pokhriyal |
| Constituency | Garhwal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 October 1934 Dehradun, Uttarakhand |
| Political party | BJP |
| Spouse(s) | Aruna Khanduri |
| Children | 1 son and 1 daughter |
| Residence | Garhwal |
| Religion | Hindu |
| As of September 16, 2006 Source: [1] |
|
Maj. Gen. (Retd) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, AVSM, (Sanskrit: भुवन चन्द्र खंडूरी); born on 1 October 1934 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand (earlier a part of Uttar Pradesh) is the chief minsiter of Uttarakhand. He was also a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Garhwal Parliamentary Constituency of Uttarkahand for four times in Lok Sabha and is a senior member of the Bharatiya Janta Party. He is also a former minister of the Indian federal government.
Contents |
The parents of Mr. Khanduri are late Jai Ballabh Khanduri (father) a journalist and late Durga Devi Khanduri (mother) a social activist. Khanduri married on February17, 1964 to Aruna Nainwal. He has a son (an Engineering Graduate and MBA from USA) and a daughter (faculty at Amity University), both have successful careers.
Khanduri is B.Sc., B.E., and M.I.E (India). He is also post-graduate in Defence Management. He was a student of the following academic Institutions:
He was a meritorious student.
Khanduri served in Corps of Engineers,Indian Army from 1954 to 1990 i.e. 36 years. Some of the important positions served by him in the Indian Army were as follows:
In 1982, he received the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) from the President of India for his extraordinary contribution to the Indian Army.
After his retirement, he made his entry into mainstream politics and joined the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
He had shown patriotism during freedom struggle as a student and, thus, displayed a remarkable political consciousness even at an early age. Khanduri was first elected to Lok Sabha from Garhwal in Uttarakhand 1991 and in subsequent elections. He was the Minister of State (with independent charge) of the Road, Transport and Highways Ministry from 2000 to 2003 in the central government headed by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was elevated to cabinet rank in 2003, and held the post until the end of the tenure of the NDA government in May 2004. He is a senior leader of Bhartiya Janata Party, having served on various parliamentary committees. As a minister, he implemented BJP's prestigious National Highways Development project with efficiency and speed. As the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Khanduri executed the high-status National Highways Development Plan of the NDA with competence and swiftness. In fact, Khanduri gave shape to the Golden Quadrilateral Project connecting the major Indian cities and metropolises through road. The existence of large network of national highways bears the testimony to Khanduri’s execution of the Golden Quadrilateral project.
In February 2007, he led the BJP to victory in assembly elections in Uttarakhand and was subsequently chosen to be the new Chief Minister of the state. Among Khanduri's first accomplishments as Chief Minister has been to cut expenses by reducing his own security and as well as of politicians and administrative officials, cutting back on their allowance for foreign trips and has restricted the use of the Chief Minister's discretionary fund to the projects approved by the district magistrates. Following his election, he toured the entire state to gain the first hand information about the conditions of the people.
He is a prominent leader of the Bhartiya Janata Party and has been a member of the different committees of the Lok Sabha. The following key positions and portfolios that were held by Khanduri:
He also represented Departments of (i) Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and (ii) Law and Company Affairs.
He was also convener of the Subcommittee on Personnel Policy of Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs) under different capacities.
Soon after taking oath again as the chief minister of Uttarakhand for second time on September 11, 2011 B C Khanduri announced setting up of a stronger Lokayukta to check rampant corruption.
Recently, the Uttarakhand government approved the draft of a Lokayukta Bill, bringing within its ambit all the ministers, including the chief minister, the MLAs and the government servants including IAS and IPS officers, with a provision of life imprisonment or more severe punishment.
The eco-friendly and sustainable industrial development of the state is, inter-alia, among the top priorities of Khanduri.
Khanduri has always been perceived as a man of integrity and honesty. Recently, his image has been enhanced as he presided over a state government of Uttarakhand which has pushed for the implementation of a strong Lok Ayukta bill (public ombudsman), citizen charter and a transparent transfer policy for state employers. The passage of the Lokayukta bill in Uttarakhand has earned Khanduri praise from Anna Hazare, who has urged the Centre and other states to follow suit.
Khanduri also had overseen the activities of the Chandra Ballabh Trust, which is an Educational Trust in Garhwal and was initiated by his grandfather in 1917. He is also associated to the following organizations in different capacities, e.g.,
He was also the chairperson of the Uttaranchal Pradesh Sangarsh Samiti and has valuable contribution in the formation of new state of Uttarakhand.