Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar (59) passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on November 12.As reported by hospital authorities, the Minister was suffering from lung cancer and had been on the ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the past few days. He was earlier undergoing treatment in the US and Britain and...
Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar (59) passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on November 12.
As reported by hospital authorities, the Minister was suffering from lung cancer and had been on the ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the past few days. He was earlier undergoing treatment in the US and Britain and was later under treatment at Sankara Hospital in Bengaluru.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was greatly saddened by the demise of Minister Kumar and then said that Minister Kumar was a remarkable leader who had entered public life at a young age and served the society with utmost diligence and compassion.
PM Modi added, "Ananth Kumar Ji was an able administrator who handled many ministerial portfolios and was a great asset to the BJP organization. He worked hard to strengthen the Party in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. He was always accessible to his constituents."
Minister Kumar, an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was in charge of two key ministries, serving as the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers since May 2014 and as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs since July 2016 in the Narendra Modi-led government. As part of International Exchange Programme and as Special Emissary of the Government of India, he hoisted the Tri-colour in Washington for the celebration of 51st Year of Indian Independence in August, 1998. As Member of the Indian Parliamentarian delegation to 67th UN General Assembly, he was the first Indian to address the U.N.G.A. in Kannada on October 16, 2012.
Minister Kumar has held several positions including:
Secretary, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarathi Parishad, (A.B.V.P.) Karnataka [1982-85]; National Secretary, A.B.V.P. [1985-87]; Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (B.J.P.), Karnataka [1987-88]; General Secretary, B.J.P., Karnataka [1988-95]; National Secretary, B.J.P. [1995 -98]; Elected to 11th Lok Sabha [1996]; Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Industry Member, Standing Committee, Ministry of Railways [1996-97]; Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (2nd term) [1998]; Union Cabinet Minister, Civil Aviation [Mar. 1998 - Oct. 1999]; Additional charge, Ministry of Tourism [Jan. 1999 - Oct. 1999]; Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (3rd term) [1999]; Union Cabinet Minister, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports [13 Oct. 1999 - 2 Feb. 2000]; Union Cabinet Minister, Tourism and Culture [2 Feb. 2000 - 1 Sep. 2001]; Union Cabinet Minister, Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation with additional charge of Rural Development (from 6 April 2003-24 May 2003) [1 Sep. 2001- Jul. 2003]; President, Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka [26 Jun. 2003]; Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (4th term) [2004]; Chairman, Standing Committee on Coal & Steel Member, General Purposes Committee [Aug. 2004 - 8 Mar. 2007]; National General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, Member & Secretary, BJP Parliamentary Board, Member & Secretary, BJP Central Election Committee [1 Nov. 2004 - May 2014]; Member, Joint Committee on Office of Profit [2005]; Chairman, Standing Committee on Finance, Member, Business Advisory Committee [9 Mar. 2007]; Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha (5th term) [2009]; Chairman, Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers [31 Aug. 2009 - 5 May 2010]; Member, Committee of Privileges, Member, Rules Committee, Member, Business Advisory Committee [23 Sep. 2009]; Chairman, Standing Committee on External Affairs [7 May 2010 - 2014]; Re-elected to 16th Lok Sabha (6th term) [May, 2014]; Union Cabinet Minister, Chemicals and Fertilizers [27 May 2014 - 5 July 2016]; Member, BJP Central Election Committee, Member, BJP Parliamentary Board [June 2014]; Union Cabinet Minister, Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Parliamentary Affairs [5 July 2016 onwards].