| Hiralal Shastri | |
|---|---|
| 1st Chief Minister of Rajasthan | |
| In office March 30, 1948–January 5, 1951 |
|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | C S Venkatachari |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1899 Jobner, Jaipur District |
| Died | December 28, 1974 |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
Pandit Hiralal Shastri (November 24, 1899 - December 28, 1974) was an Indian politician and the first chief minister of Rajasthan state in northern India. He was in office from March 30, 1949[1] to January 5, 1951.[2]
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Hiralal Shastri was born at Jobner in Jaipur District in a peasant family. He completed his early education in Jobner. Hiralal passed the degree of Sahitya Shastri in 1920. In 1921, he stood first in the B.A. examination from Maharaja's College, Jaipur.
He joined Jaipur State Service in 1921 and later became Secretary in the Home and Foreign Departments. He resigned from the service in 1927.
In 1929, Hiralal Shastri selected a remote and backward village Banasthali, 72 km from Jaipur and founded 'Jeevan Kutir' there. Here he trained a group of social workers and endeavoured to implement a programme of rural reconstruction. On October 6, 1935 Hiralal Shastri and Ratan Shastri founded Banasthali Vidyapith in memory of their daughter Shantabai.[3]
In 1937 he joined Jaipur Rajya Praja Mandal and he was twice elected General Secretary and twice President of it. In 1939 he led the Praja Mandal's Satyagraha for achievement of civil liberties and suffered a six-months imprisonment.
In 1947 he was appointed General Secretary of the All India States Peoples Conference. In the same year he was elected to the Constituent Assembly.
On the installation of representative Government in Jaipur State on March 27, 1948 Hiralal Shastri became the Prime Minister of the state[4] and when Rajasthan State was formed on March 30, 1949 he became its first Chief Minister. He took initiatives to integrate the erstwhile princely states into an effective modern administration. He resigned on January 5, 1951 and later became member of the Second Lok Sabha. He died on December 28, 1974.[5]
The Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative postage stamp in November, 1976 in honour of Pandit Hiralal Shastri.
| Preceded by Position Created |
Chief Minister of Rajasthan 1949—1951 |
Succeeded by C S Venkatachari |