Ghulam Nabi Azad
| Ghulam Nabi Azad | |
|---|---|
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| Minister of Health and Family Welfare | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 March 1949 |
| Spouse(s) | Shameem Dev Azad |
Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 7 March 1949, in Jammu and Kashmir, India) is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress and the current Minister of Health and Family Welfare[1]
He was the Parliamentary Affairs Minister of India in the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh until 27 October 2005, when he was appointed as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. After delivering victories in several key states, including Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the 'crisis manager' of the Congress surprised many when he led the party successfully in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.
Azad's forte is his organisational skills, having been the AICC general secretary for a record nine times and member of the powerful Congress Working Committee for 18 years, perhaps the longest period among the current leaders.
Political career
As a Union minister, he steered successive Congress governments to victory in 21 no-confidence motions including the minority government of P. V. Narasimha Rao in the early 1990s.
Azad's first political assignment was the Block Congress Committee secretary in Bahlesa Distt Doda in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, his native place.
In 1980, he was appointed as the President of the All India Youth Congress, the first from the minority community.
After being elected to the Seventh Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Washim (Lok Sabha constituency) in 1980, Azad entered into the Central government as Deputy Minister in charge of Law, Justice and Company Affairs Ministry in 1982.
Subsequently, he was elected to the Eighth Lok Sabha in 1984 and became a Rajya Sabha member in 1990. During Rao's government, Azad took charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Civil Aviation ministries.
In June 2008, Azad's government announced plans to transfer land to the board of a Hindu shrine. Many Muslims were angered by this decision and protested, leading the government to cancel the transfer; however, this reversal provoked Hindu protests. Seven people were reported killed in violence that accompanied these protests. The People's Democratic Party, a coalition partner of the Indian National Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, withdrew its support for Azad's government, and rather than attempt to sustain his government by requesting a vote of confidence, Azad resigned on 7 July 2008,[2] and left office on 11 July 2008.
In the second United Progressive Alliance Government, led by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Azad, was sworn in as the Health Minister of India. He has said, that he shall be expanding the National Rural Health Mission, that has mobilized half a million health workers, all across India, and that his ministry would also be launching a similar National Urban Health Mission, to serve the slum dwelling urban poor. He has advocated a late marriage age of between 25 and 30, especially for girls, and has asked people, to watch television, instead of producing children.
In 2012, offered Eid prayers at a mosque at the Safdarjung Tomb, a centrally protected monument .
Personal life
He married Shameem Dev Azad, a well known Kashmiri singer, in 1980, and they have a son Saddam Nabi Azad and a daughter Sofiya Nabi Azad.
References
- ↑ "Council of Ministers - Who's Who - Government: National Portal of India". http://india.gov.in. Government of India. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ↑ "Kashmir chief's surprise resignation", CNN, 7 July 2008.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ghulam Nabi Azad. |
- Ghulam Nabi Azad at Rajyasabha.nic.in
- Successful Career in Congress
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Anbumani Ramadoss |
Minister of Health and Family Welfare April 2009–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed |
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir 2005–2008 |
Succeeded by President's Rule |
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