Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju
| Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Civil Aviation | |
|
Assumed office 26 May 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Ajit Singh |
| Member of the Indian Parliament for Vizianagaram | |
|
Assumed office 16 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi |
| Member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for Vizianagaram | |
|
In office 2009 – 2014 | |
| Succeeded by | Geetha Meesala |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 June 1951 Madras, Madras State (present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu) |
| Political party | Telugu Desam Party |
| Spouse(s) | Suneela Gajapathi Raju |
| Children | Two daughters (Adithi and Vidyavathi) |
| Residence | Vizianagaram |
| Alma mater | Scindia School,[1] Andhra University[2] |
| Religion | Hindu |
Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju (born 26 June 1951) is an Indian politician and the Union Minister for Civil Aviation in the Narendra Modi Government. A scion of Royal family of Vizayanagram princely state, he is the younger son of the last Maharaja of Vizianagram.[3][4] He was a member of Andhra Pradesh State legislature for over twenty five years and was a Minister in the Govt. of A.P., for thirteen years holding the portfolios of Commercial Tax, Excise, Legislative affairs, Finance, Planning and Revenue.[5]
Personal life
Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju comes from the Pusapati royal family of the Vizianagaram estate. He is the son of Maharaja Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju, the last Maharaja of Vizianagram. His family is known for its philanthropy through its temples that include the famous Simhachalam temple and the Maharaja Alak Narayana Society for Arts and Sciences which runs a number of education institutions. He was educated at Scindia School Gwalior, Hyderabad Public School and V.S. Krishna College, Visakhapatnam.[2] His father Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju and his brother Pusapati Ananda Gajapathi Raju were also Indian parliamentarians and ministers in the state government.[6][7] He is a former President of Andhra Cricket Association. His efforts resulted in the establishment of several centres for imparting training in several sports at many places including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.[5]
Political career
He won the Vizianagaram Vidhan Sabha constituency for the first time as Janata Party candidate in 1978. He joined the Telugu Desam Party when it was formed in 1982 and won the state assembly elections of 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2009. He won the 2014 Indian general election to the 16th Lok Sabha from Vizianagaram.[8] He served Andhra Pradesh as a Cabinet Minister for Excise,Commercial Taxes,Finance,Revenue and Legislative Affairs in State Government.He is a Politburo member in the Telugu Desam Party.Presently he is the Union minister for Civil Aviation in the National Democratic Alliance cabinet since 26 May 2014.
He took an active part in the struggle for the formation of a new district viz. Vizianagaram. His interest to improve education in the district led to the establishment of several governmental and non-governmental educational institutions. Presently he is Chairman of a trust The Maharaja Alak Narayana Society of Arts and Science (MANSAS) which is running twelve educational institutions in the district. As a Minister, he was associated with several developmental activities. He is keenly interested in the field of public health and the conservation of water and electricity. In pursuance of this ideal, he launched housing, drinking water and health schemes. He has traveled abroad to study town planning and to implement it suitably in Andhra Pradesh.[5]
References
- ↑ "Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati gets Civil Aviation Ministry". indiainfoline.com.
- 1 2 BS Reporter (26 May 2014). "Ashok Gajapathi Raju". Business Standard. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ Analysis, Daily News & (26 May 2014). "Ashok Gajapathi Raju: The man with the "Royal Touch"". dna. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ↑ "VIZIANAGRAM". iinet.net.au.
- 1 2 3 "Honourable Minister | Ministry of Civil Aviation". www.civilaviation.gov.in. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- ↑ "P Ashok Gajapathi Raju | The Kshatriyas Association of North America". Thekshatriyas.org. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ↑ "Aviation minister shuns privileges, stands in queue, takes bus to aircraft". Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ↑ "Constituencywise-All Candidates". Eciresults.nic.in. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Botsa Jhansi Lakshmi |
Member of Parliament for Vizianagaram 2014 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Ajit Singh |
Minister of Civil Aviation 26 May 2014 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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