| Vayalar Ravi | |
|---|---|
| Shri Vayalar Ravi | |
| Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 30, 2006 |
|
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Minister of Civil Aviation | |
| In office January 19, 2011 – December 18, 2011 |
|
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Praful Patel |
| Succeeded by | Chaudhary Ajit Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 4, 1937 Alappuzha, Kerala, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse(s) | Mercy Ravi |
| Children | Ravi Krishna (Unni) Liza Rohan (kunchie) Lakshmi Ravi (chuckky) |
| Residence | Kerala |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| As of January 19, 2011 Source: [1] |
|
Vayalar Ravi (born June 4, 1937[1]) is a prominent Indian politician, currently the Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha.
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Ravi was born in Vayalar, Cherthala, Alappuzha District, Kerala. An Ezhava,[2] he was the Founder President of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the students' wing of Indian National Congress in Kerala.[1][3][4] Ravi was elected to the 5th Lok Sabha in 1971[1][4] from Chirayinkil in Thiruvanathapuram district;[4] he was re-elected to the 6th Lok Sabha in 1977,[1][4] serving until 1979.[1] He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1982,[1][4] and he served as Home Minister of Kerala from 1982 to 1986[3][4] before resigning from that position due to a disagreement with Chief Minister K. Karunakaran.[3] He was re-elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1987,[4] serving until 1991.[1] He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 1994 and again in April 2003.[1] He became Union Cabinet Minister for Overseas Affairs on January 30, 2006.[4]
After the Congress reelection in 2009, Ravi was re-inducted to the Cabinet for the second UPA government and retained the portfolio of Overseas Indian Affairs. He was given the additional responsibility of Ministry of Civil Aviation on January 19, 2011. He resigned from the office after Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh succeeded him.
Ravi met his wife Mercy, while they were both active in the Kerala Students Union and they married her after a brief courtship. Mercy Ravi died on September 5, 2009 following a kidney failure, aged 64.
In February 2010, Vayalar Ravi along with Indian Ambassador Shamma Jain were injured in a car accident in Monrovia, Liberia, while on an official visit to African countries.[5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by unknown |
Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs unknown |
Incumbent |