Kamal Nath

Kamal Nath
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
1998
Preceded by Sundar Lal Patwa
In office
1980–1996
Preceded by Gargi Shankar Mishra
Succeeded by Alka Nath
Constituency Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry
In office
May 2004 – April 2009
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Preceded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Succeeded by Anand Sharma
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Textiles
In office
1995–1996
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Environment and Forests
In office
1991–1995
Personal details
Born (1946-11-18) 18 November 1946
Kanpur, United Provinces, British India
(now in Uttar Pradesh, India)
Political party INC
Spouse(s) Alka Nath
Children 2 sons
Residence Chhindwara
Alma mater St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
Signature
Website kamalnath.in
As of 22 September, 2006
Source:

Kamal Nath (born 18 November 1946) is an Indian politician and the Ex Minister of Urban Development. Kamal Nath is one of the longest serving and senior most members of Lok Sabha; the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament[1]. He was appointed as the pro tem Speaker of the current 16th Lok Sabha of India.[2]He represents the Chhindwara constituency of Madhya Pradesh and has been elected 9 times from the constituency[3][4]. He is a leader of the Indian National Congress (INC).[5] Kamalnath was elected as the president of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee in May, 2018[6] to lead the party in upcoming assembly election of that year to be held in November-December 2018[7].

Early life

He was Born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He is an alumnus of The Doon School,[8] and a B.com graduate of St. Xavier's College of the University of Calcutta.[5]

Career

Political career

Kamal Nath assumes the charge of the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on May 24, 2004

Kamal Nath was first elected to the 7th Lok Sabha in 1980.[9] He was re-elected to the 8th Lok Sabha in 1985, the 9th Lok Sabha in 1989, and the 10th Lok Sabha in 1991. He was inducted into the Union Council of Ministers as Minister of Environment & Forests in June 1991.[10] From 1995 to 1996 he served as union minister of State, Textiles (Independent Charge).[11]

He was then elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 and the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999. From 2001 to 2004, he was the General Secretary of the INC.[12] He was re-elected to the 14th Lok Sabha in the 2004 elections and served as Union Cabinet Minister of Commerce & Industry from 2004 to 2009.

On 16 May 2009 he again won the elections from his constituency for the 15th Lok Sabha and re-entered the Cabinet, this time as Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways.[5] In 2011, as a result of a cabinet reshuffle Kamal Nath replaced Jaipal Reddy to take on his role as Minister of Urban Development. Jaipal replaced Murli Deora as minister of petroleum natural gas.[13]

In October 2012, Nath was confirmed to the ministry of parliamentary affairs in addition to his current role as urban development minister.[14]

In late 2012, Nath replaced Pranab Mukherjee to help the UPA government win a crucial debate on FDI retail.[15] Nath also replaced rural development minister Jairam Ramesh as an ex-officio member of the Planning Commission in December 2012.[16]In 2018 kamal nath was made Madhyapradesh PCC president.

Political associations

Kamal Nath is a member of the INC (Indian National Congress) political party and served as general secretary from 2001–2004.[17]

Nath has close ties with the Nehru–Gandhi family, being young friends and schoolmates with Sanjay at the Doon School, an independent boarding school located in Dehradun.[18]

Business career

Kamal Nath serves as president of the board of governors for The Institute of Management Technology (IMT) a management institution.[19]

He is Chairman of "Madhya Pradesh Child Development Council" and Patron to the Bharat Yuvak Samaj (Youth Wing of All India Bharat Seva Samaj).[20]

Only-Member-of-Parliament incident

From 4 June to 5 June 2014 Kamal Nath was the only member to have taken official oath as a member of parliament of the 16th Lok Sabha.He was made the Pro tem Speaker of the newly elected Lok Sabha. The first day of the lok Sabha on which the Pro Tem Speaker administers the oath of all other elected member as the member of parliament was called off due to the Death of Union Cabinet Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde. The House was adjourned after paying a tribute to Gopinath Munde and observing a two-minute silence. Since no other elected member had taken oath that day, they were not officially member of parliament.

Political views

Economic development

Kamal Nath is a strong proponent of economic development in India. At the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos, Switzerland in 2011 Nath shared his views on improving market access for developing countries in the area of agriculture stating India's applied tariffs for exports in developed countries was very low. Nath claims that this is due to continued imports through schemes like EPCG (Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme) where tariffs are not levied.[21]

Competing in the world market

Nath disagrees with the Trade protectionist outlook displayed among struggling countries and considers it to be the wrong response to a financial crisis.[22] He has pushed for stronger international cooperation in India, such as expanding on Indo-German relations. Nath stated for a mutually beneficial relationship with Germany to exist it must rely on using both countries' manufacturing strengths. He outlined focus areas of production including telecom, engineering, environmental technology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food processing, and renewable energy.[23] Kamal Nath describes India's entrepreneurial spirit and the countries' potential for global commerce growth in his book India's Century.[24]

Kamal Nath on infrastructure development

Nath emphasizes the need for infrastructure development in India with projects like the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, a 90 billion dollars industrial development project. The DMIC proposes major expansion of infrastructure and industry and aims to develop an industrial zone across six states in India.[25] Within the first five years of the project expectations are set at doubling employment potential, tripling industrial output, and quadrupling exports from the region.[26]

Public–private partnership (PPP)

Kamal Nath advocates a PPP model on completing such ambitious projects like the DMIC and other infrastructure development projects. He references success with PPP models implemented in India's Metro operations.[27]

Controversies

Rice export accusations

In 2007, during Kamal Nath's tenure as Commerce minister, an Empowered Group of Ministers that included Nath, Pranab Mukherjee, and Sharad Pawar helped lift a ban on the export of non-basmati rice. It was alleged that PSUs involved in export of this rice to Africa outsourced the efforts to domestic private companies. It is claimed that the private companies made large profits while the PSUs reported small margins.[28]

Awards and recognition

  • In 2006 Kamal Nath received an Honorary Doctorate from Jabalpur's Rani Durgavati University for his contributions to the public sector.[29]
  • Kamal Nath was named the FDI Personality of the Year 2007 by the FDI magazine and the Financial Times Business for his "Active efforts to attract foreign businesses to India, boost exports, and promote trade and investment".[30]
  • In 2008 he was honoured with the title "Business Reformer of the year" by The Economic Times.[31]
  • In September 2011, he was declared to be the richest Cabinet minister in India with assets worth INR 2.73 billion (INR 2,730,000,000 or US$59 million).

Personal life

He married Alka Nath on 27 January 1973 and has two sons.[34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kamal Nath appointed pro-tem Speaker". The hindu.
  2. ↑ "PCC chief Kamal Nath obvious Congress face for MP election battle". CL Manoj. The Economic Times. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "To his voters, Kamal Nath has become Chhindwara". Indian Express.
  4. ↑ "Kamal Nath Biography". elections.in.
  5. 1 2 3 Profile at Parliament of India website Archived 17 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine..
  6. ↑ "Rahul Gandhi makes Madhya Pradesh choice; picks Kamal Nath over Jyotiraditya Scindia and excludes Digvijaya Singh - Republic World". Republic World. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  7. ↑ "Congress Party PCC Presidents - Indian National Congress". Indian National Congress. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  8. ↑ "Profile of Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India". Department of Commerce, Government of India. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  9. ↑ "Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament XII Lok Sabha", accessed 12 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "MR. KAMAL NATH Commerce & Industry Minister Government of India" Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine., accessed 12 August 2011.
  11. ↑ " Fifteenth Lok Sabha Member","WhereInCity India Information", accessed 12 August 2011.
  12. ↑ " Kamal Nath Minister of Urban Development ","Chiefly Musing", accessed 12 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "Cabinet reshuffle: Jaipal gets Petroleum; Kamal Nath moved to Urban Development", "NDTV", accessed 10 February 2012.
  14. ↑ "Cabinet reshuffle: Upgrade for Salman, Rahul boys likely", "The Times of India", accessed 27 November 2012.
  15. ↑ Saghal, Priya. "UPA government has finally found a troubleshooter in Kamal Nath to replace Pranab Mukherjee". India Today.
  16. ↑ "Urban development minister Kamal Nath's rise". London: Daily Mail. 26 December 2012.
  17. ↑ "Detailed Profile: Shri Kamal Nath","India.gov.in", accessed 10 February 2012.
  18. ↑ "Kamal Nath, the Gandhi buddy" Archived 5 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine."Hindustan Times", accessed 10 February 2012.
  19. ↑ Institute of Information Management Technology, Ghaziabad "President's Message", accessed 12 August 2011.
  20. ↑ http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in "Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament 13th Lok Sabha", accessed 12 August 2011.
  21. ↑ "India Everywhere" "Rural Infrastructure, Employment, FDI key to 8% growth 'Dream Team' addresses foreign investors" Archived 18 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine., 28 January 2006, accessed 9 September 2011.
  22. ↑ "Agence France Presse (AFP)" "Davos participants warn protectionism could stifle economic recovery", "The Daily Star" 2 February 2009, accessed 9 September 2011.
  23. ↑ "Alibaba.com" "Kamal Nath For Big Push To Economic Dimension of Indo-German Relations..", "Alibaba.com" 10 August 2010, accessed 9 September 2011
  24. ↑ "Indialink Online: Kamal Nath" "Kamal Nath – 'India's Century' Launched in London", "India Link International" accessed 9 September 2011.
  25. ↑ "TopNews.in" "Kamal Nath says, infrastructure development critical for inclusive growth", "TopNews.in" 23 January 2008, accessed 9 September 2011.
  26. ↑ "Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion Ministry of Commerce & Industry""Delhi – Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project" Archived 31 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine., "Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion Ministry of Commerce & Industry" accessed 9 September 2011.
  27. ↑ "Zeenews.india.com""Kamal Nath advocates PPP model for infrastructure development", "Zeenews.india.com" 21 February 2011, accessed 9 September 2011.
  28. ↑ http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/123591/Nation/rice+boils+over.html
  29. ↑ "Kamal Nath, Indian minister for commerce and industry", The New York Times, 26 October 2008, accessed 12 August 2011.
  30. ↑ "fDi Personality of the Year 2007 awards event at New Delhi 31st August 2007.", Indiaprwire.com, 25 August 2007.
  31. ↑ "Business Reformer of the year 2008", The Economic Times Awards, accessed 12 August 2011.
  32. ↑ "Kamal Nath, Anand Mahindra honoured with Asian business awards". The Indian Express. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  33. ↑ "Winners of the Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards 2012". Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  34. ↑ "Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament 11th Lok Sabha". Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
Political offices
Preceded by
Jaipal Reddy		 Minister of Urban Development
19 January 2011 – 25 May 2014		 Succeeded by
Venkaiah Naidu
Preceded by
T R Baalu		 Minister of Road Transport and Highways
22 May 2009 – 18 January 2011		 Succeeded by
C. P. Joshi
Preceded by
Atal Bihari Vajpayee		 Minister of Commerce and Industry
23 May 2004–2009		 Succeeded by
Anand Sharma
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