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Suresh Prabhu
Indian politician (born 1953) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu (born 11 July 1953) is an Indian politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1996 to 2009, representing Rajapur in the Lok Sabha. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Andhra Pradesh and Haryana from 2014 to 2022.[3][4] He held several ministerial portfolios in the Union Government, including Ministry of Civil Aviation, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Minister of Railways, Minister of Fertilizers & Chemicals, and Minister of Environment and Forests. He is the current chancellor of Rishihood University and chairman of the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA).[5]
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Prabhu was appointed to the Bloomberg New Economy Advisory Board as the only representative from India.[6]
He worked in the Global Advisory Council of the World Economic Forum.[7]
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Education and career
Suresh Prabhu is a chartered accountant (CA) by profession. He qualified as a CA in 1977, securing the ninth rank in India.[8] He attended Sharad Ashram Vidyamandir, Dadar, Mumbai for schooling. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Honours from M. L. Dahanukar College, Vile Parle, Mumbai, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the New Law College (Ruparel College campus), Mumbai.[9]
Political career
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Prabhu held ministerial positions during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1998–2004). His first portfolio was Minister of Industry.[10]
Prabhu served as Minister of Environment and Forests from 9 March 1998 to 13 October 1999 under the Vajpayee government.[10] During this period, initiatives included developing bamboo resources, drafting the Biological Diversity Act, preparing the National Environment Action Plan, and finalizing various waste management rules.[11]
He held the Ministry of Fertilizers and Chemicals from 1999 to 2000.[12] He worked on policies for the fertilizers, pharma, petrochemicals, and chemicals sectors.[11]
He served as Minister of Power from 2000 to 2004.[13] The Electricity Act of 2003 was enacted during his tenure.[14] Reforms made under his ministry encouraged the people to set up their business without being dependent on captive power generation.[15]
Prabhu was appointed Chairperson of the Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers under the Vajpayee government.[16]
In the first term of the Narendra Modi government, Suresh Prabhu was appointed Minister of Railways but resigned in 2017 following train accidents.[17][18] In January 2016, the World Bank invited Prabhu to speak on the role of transport and cities in achieving climate goals.[19]
He served as Minister of Commerce and Industry from 2017 to 2019.[20] For the control of child trafficking, Mr Prabhu launched an app called ReUnite to track the abandoned and missing children.[21] Prabhu visited Russia to participated in “Timber in the Far East-Increasing Industry’s Economic Return” and talked about India-Russia ties with Russian minister Dmitry Kobylkin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russian Federation and Governors, Vice Governors and representatives of regions.[22]
In the final period of the first term of the Narendra Modi government, Prabhu served as Minister of Civil Aviation.[23] Under his ministry, Mr. Prabhu laid the foundation for seven new airports across the country.[24]
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Awards and recognition
On 18 August 2016, Prabhu received the Goud Saraswat Brahmin Samaj Maharatha Award.[25][26] Media surveys between 2014 and 2017 reportedly ranked him among the top performing ministers.[27][28] In 2024, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Economic Policy Group (EPG).[29]
Social work and interests
- Founder and trustee of Manav Sadhan Vikas Sansthan, an NGO.[30]
Controversies
Suresh Prabhu has been associated with several controversies, including:
- The Adarsh Housing Society scandal.[31][32][33][34]
- Bounced cheques issued by Western India Financial Services, where he served as chairman.[35]
- The "cobbler scam" involving Saraswat Bank during his chairmanship.[36][37]
References
External links
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