43 FAMOUS HINDU BANIYA VAISHYA LEADERS OF SANATANA BHARAT

43Famous Hindu Baniya Vaishya Leaders of Sanatana Bharat 

The 27 famous Hindu Baniya Vaishya Leaders of Sanatana Bharat are: 

(1) Mahatma Mohandas Diwan Karamchand Putlibai Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi, the Father of the Nation of India 

(2) Lala Lajpat Radha Krishan Arya Samaj Agarwal Baniya Rai of the Jallianwala Bagh and Lal-Bal-Pal fame 

(3) Narendra Damodardas Mulchand Hiraba Modh Ghanchi Teli Baniya Modi, the Prime Minister of India 

(4) Ram Manohar Hiralal Chanda Baniya Lohia of Quite India Movement fame and General Secretary of Praja Socialist Party 

(5) Jamnalal Kaniram Birdibai Shekhawat Marwari Baniya Bajaj, the adopted son of Mahatma Gandhi and the founder of the Bajaj Group of Industries 

(6) Ramanath Marwari Dalmia Baniya Goenka, the Most Acclaimed Publisher of Indian Express newpaper 

(7) Arvind Govind Ram Gita Devi Agarwal Baniya Kejriwal, the 2-Time Chief Minister of Delhi, one of the most admired fighters against corruption in India and the National Convenor of Aam Admi Party 

(8) Kamal Mahendra Leela Baniya Nath, a 9-Term Member of Parliament, the Protem Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha, the former Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Commerce, Industry, Road Transport, Highways and Urban Development, the President of the board of governors for The Institute of Management Technology and the Winner of The Economic Times Business Reformer of the Year 2008 

(9) Ashok Baniya Singhal, the International President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad 

(10) Lakshmi Niwas Mohan Lal Marwari Baniya Mittal, the chairman and CEO of the world’s largest steelmaking company Arcelor Mittal 

(11) Sachin Baniya Bansal, the Co-Founder of Flipcart E-Commerce Company and the Economic Times Entrepreneur of the Year 2012-13 

(12) Bookanakere Siddalingappa Puttathayamma Ganiga Teli Baniya Yeddyurappa, the National Vice-President of BJP and the 19th Chief Minister of Karnataka 

(13) Guntur Konijeti Rosaiah Komati Baniya Shetti, the 15th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the 17th Governor of Karnataka and the 18th Governor of Tamil Nadu 

(14) Singaravelu Baniya Chettiar of Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan 

(15) Palaniappan Chidambaram Baniya Chettiar of Indian National Congress 

(16) Rahul Jamanlal Marwari Baniya Bajaj, the Chairman of Bajaj Auto Ltd. He is the chairman of an Indian conglomerate, the Bajaj Group and a member of parliament. He is the grand-son of Jamanlal Bajaj, an adopted son of the father of the nation, Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 

(17) Sir Shanmukham Kandaswami Ramaswami Baniya Chettiar (17 October 1892 – 5 May 1953) was, the first Finance Minister of Independent India. He wan an eminent lawyer, a reputed economist and a high-ranking politician who served as independent India’s first finance minister from 1947 to 1949. He also served as President of India’s Central Legislative Assembly from 1933 to 1935 and as Diwan (Chief Minister) under the Cochin King Rama Varma XVII of Cochin Kingdom from 1935 to 1941. Rama Varma XVII (1861 – May 23, 1941) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin, a part of present day Kerala State, from March 25, 1932 to May 23, 1941. Rama Varma ascended the throne on the death of Rama Verma XVI. The Cochin harbour was expanded and the Ernakulam High Court was established during his reign. Rama Varma was the guardian and benefactor of the famous Sri Ananatha Padmanabha Swami Temple at Tiruvananthapuram. A majestic statue of Rama Varma XVII, Maharaja of Cochin is erected near the Paramekkavu Sri Bhagavati Devi Temple inThrissur City, Kerala State. 

(18) Dr. Bimal Baniya Jalan, the son of Krishna Nand Jalan and Janaki Devi Jalan, was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, on July 3, 1941. He was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1997 to 2003 and a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. He has served India in various capacities: the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government, Banking Secretary, Finance Secretary, Member-Secretary of the Planning Commission, and Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. He is married to Divya Jalan and has two children: one a son and anothera daughter. 

(19) Kumara Mangalam Marwari Baniya Birla, born in Kolkata on June 14, 1967, was raised in Mumbai. Birla and his wife Neerja Birla have three children: Ananyashree Baniya Birla, Aryaman Vikram Baniya Birla and Advaitesha Baniya Birla. He became the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group of Companies, which operates in 36 countries across six continents, in 1995at the age of 28. He is also the chairman of several other companies: Hindalco, Grasim, Aditya Birla Nuvo, UltraTech, Idea, Aditya Birla Financial Services, Aditya Birla Retail, Novelis, Columbian Chemicals, Aditya Birla Minerals, Aditya Birla Chemicals, Thai Carbon Black, Alexandria Carbon Black, Domsjö Fabriker and Terrace Bay Pulp Mill. He has raised the Group’s turnover from $2 billion in 1995 to $40 billion today. He is a Director of the G. D. Birla Medical Research & Education Foundation and is the Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), with campuses in Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad and Dubai. As the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Committee on Corporate Governance, he authored the First Report on Corporate Governance titled “Report of the Kumar Mangalam Birla Committee on Corporate Governance”. He was a director on the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India, the Chairman of the Advisory Committee constituted by the Ministry of Company Affairs and a member of the Prime Minister of India’s Advisory Council on Trade and Industry. He was chosen the Economic Times’ Business Leader of the Year Award 2012-13 for the second time. His previous win was in 2003. He has received several other awards: Hindustan Times’, “The Businessman of the Year”, 2001, “Business Man of the Year-2003″ by Business India, “Young Super Performer in the CEO Category” by Business Today, 2005, The Asia Pacific Global HR Excellence – “Exemplary Leader” Award, 2007, The Lakshmipat Singhania – IIM, Lucknow “National Leadership Award, Business Leader”, 2006, The Asia Pacific Global HR Excellence – “Exemplary Leader” Award, 2007, NASSCOM’s ‘Global Business Leader Award’, 2012 and The All India Management Association’s (AIMA), Managing India Awards “Business Leader of the Year”, 2010. He was ranked Ranked the 3rd Most Powerful CEO (2012)’ in the Economic Times’ Corporate India’s Definitive Power listing of 100 CEOs. 

(20) Ghanshyam Das Marwari Baniya Birla (April 10, 1894 – June 11, 1983), the father of Basant Kumar Baniya Birla, was born at Pilani village in Rajputana State, on April 10, 1894. His father was Baldeo Das Marwari Baniya Birla and his grand-father was Shiv Narayana Das Marwari Birla. In 1905, Ghanshyam was married to Durga Devi, daughter of Mahadev Somani, They had a son from Durga Devi named Lakshmi Nivas Marwari Baniya Birla. He married Maheshwari Devi, daughter of Premsukhdas Karwa, in 1912 and had five children from her: two sons Two sons Krishna Kumar Marwari Baniya Birla and Basant Kumar Marwari Baniya Birla and three daughters Chandrakala Devi Daga, Anasuya Devi Tapuriah and Shanti Devi Maheshwari. The Birla Brothers Limited was formed in 1919 and a mill was set up in Gwalior in the same year. He established Hindustan Motors to manufacture cars in 1926. He invested in tea and textiles in a big way after August 15, 1947 and soon diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and steel tubes. In 1926, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly and became the founding president of Harijan Sevak Sangh founded by Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Modh Baniya Gandhi in 1932. He founded the Birla Engineering College, later known as Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani in 1964 and Technological Institute of Textiles and Sciences in Bhiwani in 1943. He received Padma Bhushan, India’s second highest civilian award, in 1957. 

(21) Vijaypat Baniya Singhania is the chairman emeritus of the Raymond Group of clothing and textile companies. He was a Mumbai Sheriff from 19 December 2005 to 18 December 2006. He holds the world record for highest altitude gained travelling in hot air balloon. He received the rank of Honorary Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force. He received Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, given by the Government of India in 2005. In March 2007, he took over from Infosys Founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, the Chairman post of the Governing Council, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 

(22) Jagmohan Marwari Baniya Dalmia was returned to power as the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday, March 1, 2015. He had previously served as the President of the International Cricket Council. He is a co-owner of M.L. Dalmia and Co, one of India’s top construction firms. Born in Kolkata on May 30, 1940, he is married to Chandralekha Dalmia and they have two children. 

(23) Badri Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka was the former Chairman of the Imperial Bank of India, now the State Bank of India, India’s largest public sector bank now. 

(24) Rama Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka, born on March 1, 1930, in Kolkata, West Bengal, is the founder and chairman emeritus of RPG Group of Companies. He was the eldest son of Keshav Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka and grandson of Badri Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka. His two younger brothers were Jagdish Marwari Baniya Prasad and Gouri Marwari Baniya Prasad. His two children are Harsh Marwari Baniya Goenka and Sanjiv Marwari Baniya Goenka. 

(25) Sanjiv Rama Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka is the son of Rama Prasad Marwari Goenka, the grandson of Keshav Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka and the great grandson of Badri Prasad Marwari Baniya Goenka. Born on January 29, 1961, he is the chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group of Companies with a resource base of at least $4.3 billion. He manages the power and retail giant CESC Limited, the Group’s entertainment venture Saregama India Ltd (earlier called The Gramophone Company of India Ltd), Spencer’s retail chain of stores, Carbon Black Manufacturing firm and the group’s plantations company. 

(26) Rajiv Rahul Kamalnayan Jamanlal Marwari Baniya Bajaj is the Managing Director of Bajaj Group of Companies. The Bajaj Group, founded in 1926, one of the top 10 business houses in India, is involved in a wide range of industries, spanning automobiles (two-wheelers and three-wheelers), home appliances, lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel and finance. The group’s flagship company, Bajaj Auto, is ranked as the world’s fourth largest two- and three- wheeler manufacturer and the Bajaj brand is well-known across several countries in Latin America, Africa, Middle East, South and South East Asia. Jamnalal Bajaj, founder of the group, was a close confidant and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, Gandhiji had adopted him as his son. His son, Kamalnayan Bajaj, then 27, took over the management of business in 1942. He too was close to Gandhiji. Kamalnayan Bajaj not only consolidated the group, but also diversified into various manufacturing activities. The present Chairman of the group, Rahul Bajaj, took charge of the business in 1965. Under his leadership, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has gone up from INR.72 million to INR. 120 billion, its product portfolio has expanded and the brand has found a global market. He is one of India’s most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. 

(27) Kamalnayan Jamanlal Marwari Baniya Bajaj was only 27, when took over the management of Bajaj Group of companies in 1942. He too was close to Gandhiji. Kamalnayan Bajaj not only consolidated the group, but also diversified into various manufacturing activities.

(28) Sunil Satpal Marwari Baniya Agarwal Mittal is the son of Satpal Marwari Baniya Agarwal Mittal (1931-1992) who was a member of the Punjab Legislative Council(1964-70), a Deputy Minister in the Government of Punjab and a member of the Rajya Sabha for three terms from 1976 to 1982, from 1982 to 1988 and from 1988 to 1992. Sunil Mittal, born in Ludhiana, Punjab State, on October 23, 1957, is the founder, chairman and CEO of Bharati Group of Companies, which has interests in telecom, retail, financial services, and agri- business. His personal wealth in 2015, is estimated to be, $ 7.8 billion. He is married to Nyna Mittal and has three children: Eiesha Marwari Bania Agarwal Mittal, Kavin Marwari Baniya Agarwal Mittal and Shravin Marwari Baniya Agarwal Mittal. He has two brothers namely Rajan Satpal Marwari Baniya Agarwal Mittal and Rakesh Satpal Marwari Baniya Mittal. He graduated in 1976 from Arya College, Ludhiana, with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree. The Bharati Group’s flagship telecommunications giant Bharti Airtel has operations in 20 countries and a customer base of above 275 million. He has received several awards: (1) India’s third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2007 (2) NDTV Transforming India Leader (3) GSMA Chairman’s Award (4) Fortune Magazine Asia Businessman of the Year 20016 (5) Voice and Data Telecom Person of the Year Award 2006 (6) Best Asian Telecom CEO Award 2005 (7) Asia Pacific CEO of the Year 2006 Award (8) Institutional Investor India’s Best CEO Award 2005 (9) The Economic Times Business Leader of the Year Award 2005 (10) The Asian Philanthropist of the Year Award 2010 and Business Leader Award 2011. He waselected Vice Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce. His Bharati Philanthropic Foundation has established over 254 schools and offered free quality education with free books, uniform and mid day meals to poor children in villages all over India.

(29) Krishnarajapur Palligonde Diwan Bahadur Puttanna Chetty Telugu Komati Baniya Vaishya (1856-1938), the first President of the Bangalore municipality and the builder of Bengaluru City Town Function Hall. K.P. Puttanna Kotmati Shetti Chetty, born in 1856 in a Telugu Kormati Shetty Baniya Vaishya family of Bengaluru, was educated at the Central College, Bengaluru. He entered the Mysore civil service in 1875. He held several official positions: served as a traffic manager in the Mysore state railways from 1884 to 1898, a Deputy Commissioner from 1898 to 1906, a member of the Bangalore City Council from 1906 to 1912 and the President of the Bangalore municipality from 1913 to 1919. He was elected to the Mysore Legislative Council in 1925. He served as the Chairman of the Bank of Mysore, the Central Co-Operative Bank, and the Sri Krishnarajendra Mills. He was a fellow of the Mysore University and served as the President of Rao Bahaddur Dharmavartha Gubbi Thotadappa Charities from 1910 to 1938.

(30) Dr. Harsh Om Prakash Snehlata Goel Agarwal Baniya Vardhan, the Union Cabinet Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in PM Narendra Modi’s Cabinet. Earlier, he was the cabinet minister for Health and Family Welfare. His father’s name is Om Prakash Goel and his mother’s name is Snehlata Goel. Born in New Delhi on December 13, 1954, Dr. Harsh Vardhan married to Nutan Goel on 26 February 1982. They have two sons and one daughter.

He completed his Medical Studies at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College in Kanpur in Kanpur and obtained his MBBS and MS with specialization in ENT from there. He returned to Delhi to set up a private practice as an ENT surgeon. But his restless soul, which had manifested itself earlier and drawn him towards the RSS, persuaded him to take up projects for the betterment of society. He joined the Indian Medical Association’s Delhi Chapter and worked hard in east Delhi, which is his immediate neighborhood, to build up solidarity of medical practitioners. He held various posts in the Delhi Medical Association – from secretary and President (East Delhi) to state secretary and President, where he showed early signs of his leadership qualities. He is an ENT surgeon by Profession and a Political and Social Worker by choice.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan believes that a society does not become “modern” by just changing its superficial appearance. Progress and modernisation means adopting lifestyles that reflect collective maturity and vision. “You can’t call yourself a superpower if ‘Health for All’, ‘Universal Elementary Education’ and ‘Environment Protection’ are mere slogans,” he says. The World Health Organisation has recognised his role as an anti-tobacco consumption crusader and awarded him the Director-General’s Commendation Award in 1998. It was an honour previously bestowed on US President Bill Clinton and football legend Pele.

In January 2001, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee honoured him with Rotary International’s “Polio Eradication Champion Award”. He is the first Indian to receive this prestigious award, which earlier went to former British Prime Minister John Major, US President Bill Clinton, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a galaxy of other famous international personalities. A large number of international luminaries attended the function at New Delhi. Prime Minister Vajpayee described Dr Harsh Vardhan as “Swasthya Vardhan.”

He is one of the few politicians in the country to enjoy broad bipartisan admiration. The late Prime Minister, Inder Kumar Gujral, famously commented at an international event: “If I have to single out one minister for an outstanding award in India, then my first choice will be Dr Harsh Vardhan”. Within the BJP, he worked hard to organise the “Doctors’ Cell” and established vibrant units of it in different states.

Dr Harsh Vardhan has been conferred the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International twice. The International Institute of Polypathy based in Milan, Italy, nominated him as a Fellow in 1996. In 1995, the then President of Lions International, Mr C. Pino Grimaldi, awarded him the Lions International Service Award. In 1994, he received the “IMA President’s Special Award of Appreciation” and was given the “IMA Special Award to Eminent Medical Men for Distinguished Achievement of Highest Order” for two successive years – 1995 and 1996. On “Doctor’s Day”, July 1, 2002, he was named “Doctor of the last Decade” (Swastha Ratna) by the New Delhi branch of the Indian Medical Association for being the “noblest medical campaigner of the last decade.”

A number of prestigious social organisations have honoured Dr. Harsh Vardhan with awards and recognition. The Maharaja Agrasen Forum conferred upon him the ‘Aggarwal Ratan Award’ in 1994. The Jain Mahasabha bestowed on him the ‘Ahimsa Samman’ in 1996.

Dr Manmohan Singh, the then Union Finance Minister, gave the ‘Sewa Shree Samman’ to him in 1996 for outstanding achievements. The All India Conference of Intellectuals conferred on him the ‘Delhi Ratan Award’.

The Acharya Kshemchand Suman Seva Samiti conferred on him the prestigious Acharya Suman Shree Samman for the year 2001. He has also received the Vocational Excellence Award by the Rotary Club of Delhi Uptown for his service to the community with special mention of his dedication and commitment in providing relief to the victims of the Gujarat earthquake of 2001. He also received a Certificate of Excellence from Dr Bhisham Narain Singh, the former Governor of Tamil Nadu, on behalf of the India International Friendship Society for outstanding services, achievements and contributions.

In February 2002, he was honored at the Polio Plus International Presidential Summit held in Mumbai in acknowledgement of his commitment to the eradication of Polio. In 1999, Dr Harsh Vardhan received the Human Care Award of the Millennium for excellence in the medical profession from the then Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Shiela Dixit, on behalf of the Punjab & Sind Bank. The International Institute of Integrated Medical Science, Varanasi, awarded him with the Certificate of Academic Excellence.

For his services to the environment, Dr. Harsh Vardhan received the National Environmental Seva Samman at the 1996 World Environment Congress. Dr Harsh Vardhan has also received the Rashtriya Hindi Samman in 1996 at the All India Hindi Sammelan by the Dr Ganga Sharan Singh Rashtriya Hindi Sansthan. The prestigious Ghalib Academy of New Delhi awarded him the “best professional” award in April 2008.

In 1994, on a single day (October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi), he organised the mass immunisation of 1.2 million children in Delhi from the dreaded disease, polio. It was the first time that such a bold step was implemented anywhere in India. Dr Harsh Vardhan thus pioneered the concept of pulse polio, which eventually led to the total eradication of the disease –in January 2014, India was declared “polio free” because not a single new case had been reported in the country since 2011. Dr Harsh Vardhan conceived the first ever anti-tobacco legislation in India, despite facing stiff opposition from the tobacco lobby. In 1997, the Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers Health Protection Act was passed.

A major trail blazing initiative of Dr Harsh Vardhan was the act of implementing WHO’s Essential Drug Programme, which revolutionized the Indian governments’ attitude on public health care. Under the concept, maximum budgetary outlay was apportioned to drugs most needed by the people. It was henceforth known as the “Delhi Model” and taken up by several foreign countries and at least a dozen state governments in India. The Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs, which is a powerful movement now, was thus born and Dr Harsh Vardhan continues to take keen interest on its progress.

His missionary zeal has touched other areas of health care as well. Under him, Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College got the country’s first ever Department for Occupational and Environmental Health. He launched the Matri Suraksha Programme to ensure proper mother and childcare for Delhi’s middle and lower income groups. The Cancer Control Programme, the Cataract-free Delhi Programme and the Shravan Shakti Abhiyan for the rehabilitation of the elderly and the hearing impaired were started under his leadership.

His administration also launched the Healthy City Project, the Hepatitis B Immunisation Programme and a Delhi Research Centre for Modernised Promotion of Ayurveda. Two other significant pieces of legislation that bear his stamp are the Delhi Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Act and Delhi Artificial Insemination Act.

Dr Harsh Vardhan’s fame as a committed health minister has grown considerably. Experts from all over the world consult him and he is regularly invited abroad to address gatherings of medical practitioners and social activists. His life-long commitment to polio eradication continues notwithstanding his being in power or not. To this end, he also served with the South-East Asia office of World Health Organisation (WHO) as an Advisor.

He is the first Indian nominated for the prestigious WHO body, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), in which capacity he has counseled the international body for developing policies on vaccines and biologicals. Apart from this, he has served on the Global Technical Consultative Group and the Technical Consultative Group of the South East Asia region for polio eradication. This is the highest body of WHO dedicated to the elimination of polio.

Dr Harsh Vardhan is a member of several prestigious organisations in not only the medical field, but also culture, diplomacy and related areas. He is a life member of the International Medical Parliamentarians Organisation, the Antar Rashtriya Sahyog Parishad, the Council for International Affairs and Human Rights, the Panchnad Research Institute, the IMA Academy of Medical Specialties, the Association of Otolaryngologists of India, the All India Rhinology Society, the Gems Association and the Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs. He is also one of the founders of Green Forum, the country’s first multi-party platform of leaders interested in environment protection.

Dr Harsh Vardhan has presented his views at several national and international scientific conferences. He has travelled to more than 30 countries, where he has visited centres of excellence to learn and consider the relevance of development in the Indian context. He was also a senior member of an Expert Advisory Committee for Health Programmes on Doordarshan Bharti Channel.

Dr Harsh Vardhan has been a member of the RSS since childhood. He was elected from Krishna Nagar Vidhan Sabha constituency, Delhi in 1993 on BJP’s ticket and became a member of the First Legislative Assembly of Delhi. He was appointed Minister of Health and Minister of Law in the Government of Delhi and later became the Law Minister in the Union Cabinet under India’s PM Atal Behari Vajpayee. During this period (1993-98), people found him remarkably accessible and officials respected him for his hands-on style of functioning. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said of Dr Harsh Vardhan: “He joined politics with the laudable objective of using his considerable medical knowledge and experience for serving the common man”.

Dr Harsh Vardhan was re-elected in1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013. In 2014, he contested the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat and won by a handsome margin. Apart from being an effective minister, he also proved his organisational capabilities by rebuilding the BJP’s operations in Delhi virtually from scratch after the party’s defeat in the 2003 Assembly election. The BJP high command was so impressed by his determination to build up a solid party structure in Delhi that it took the historic step of giving him a third term as President in 2007. This is unprecedented for any state unit of the party.

On 23 October 2013, Dr Harsh Vardhan was named the Chief Ministerial candidate for the Delhi Assembly elections by the BJP. Though the BJP emerged as the single largest party (32/70 seats), Dr Harsh Vardhan rejected the suggestion of forming a patchwork government, and, following the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy, decided to sit in the Opposition.

Apart from hard politics, Dr Harsh Vardhan is also involved in promoting the legacy of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, the founder of the Jan Sangh, who gave his life for Jammu and Kashmir’s integration with India, and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, the visionary and ideologue who conceived the theory of Integral Humanism.

In early 2008, he was named secretary of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Foundation by the BJP President, Shri Rajnath Singh. He took up three important projects: to assemble the collected works of Dr Mukerjee, to restore his house in Kolkata along with all memorabilia including photographs and, most importantly, promote research in topics of national importance.

Since 2003, as the leader of the principal opposition party of Delhi, Dr Harsh Vardhan has campaigned relentlessly against corruption and mal-governance. He won the respect and admiration of Delhites for defending their human, civic, environmental and consumer rights. Some of the major issues highlighted by him are corruption in power privatisation, the proposal to privatise Delhi’s water, assure dwellers in unauthorised colonies basic human facilities and rights, campaign for cleaning up the Yamuna River, promote the use of jute and cotton bags as alternative to plastic, expose the Commonwealth Games scam to the public, take to task the power Discoms for installing fast-running electronic meters, protest the hike in prices of food and essential commodities and demand better traffic management.

It is Dr Harsh Vardhan’s dream to make Delhi an international city, equipped with world-class infrastructure with an inclusive culture. “Delhi will become the leading city of the world, showcasing the best of India’s progress”, he says. The coming years would see Dr Harsh Vardhan grappling with the awesome problems thrust on Delhi by rising population, vanishing green spaces, dwindling water table, unmanageable traffic and above all, a deepening rich-poor divide. The environment, he says, will be the single most important factor in people’s lives in the second decade of the century as the world moves slowly towards climate change. He is constantly educating himself on the vexed issues of the present and readying for the challenges of the future.

In December 2004, Dr Harsh Vardhan came out with his own account on how he conceived and implemented the Pulse Polio programme. The book, A Tale of Two Drops (English)/ Kahani Do Boondo ki (Hindi), was released at a glittering function in New Delhi by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the presence of Shri L.K. Advani, former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Shri Mohan Bhagwat, present RSS chief (General Secretary, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh at the time of release of book), Smt. Sushma Swaraj, former Union Health Minister, and Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director, World Health Organization, South East Asia Region.

Dr Harsh Vardhan has served the South-East Asia office of World Health Organisation (WHO) as an Advisor. He is the first Indian nominated to the prestigious WHO body, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), in which capacity he counseled the international body on developing policies on vaccines and biologicals.

He has served on the Global Technical Consultative Group and the Technical Consultative Group of the South East Asia region for polio eradication.

He is a life member of the International Medical Parliamentarians Organisation, the Antar Rashtriya Sahyog Parishad, the Council for International Affairs and Human Rights, the Panchnad Research Institute, the IMA Academy of Medical Specialties, the Association of Otolaryngologists of India, the All India Rhinology Society, the Gems Association and the Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs.

He is one of the founders of Green Forum, the country’s first multi-party platform of leaders interested in environment protection. He has won several awards at the international level: Human Care Award of the Millennium, 1999, Recipient of World Health Organization’s highest honor, the Director General’s Commendation Medal for successfully working towards a tobacco-free society (only Indian to receive this award; earlier recipients being US Pres. Bill Clinton, Football legend – Pele), Lions International Service Award, 1995, Conferred with Rotary International’s ‘Polio Eradication Champion Award’ earlier received by US President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister John Major and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fellowship.

He has won several awards in at the national level in India: IMA Swastha Ratna, Doctor of the Last Decade, 2002, The Acharya Kshemshand Suman Seva Samiti’s Acharya Suman Shree Samman, 2001, Sewa Shree Samman, 1996, Jain Mahasabha’s Ahimsa Samman, 1996, National Environment Seva Samman, 1996, Rashtriya Hindi Samman, 1996, IMA Special Award to Eminent Men for Distinguished Achievement of the highest Order, 1995, IMA Special Award to Eminent Men for Distinguished Achievement of highest Order, 1996, Maharaja Agrasen Forum’s Aggarwal Ratan Award, 1994, IMA President’s Special Award of Appreciation, 1994, The All India Conference of Intellectuals, Delhi Ratan Award, 2002, Rotary Club Delhi’s Vocational Excellence Award and a Certificate of Excellence Award from Dr. Bhisham Narain Singh, the former Governor of Tamil Nadu, on behalf of the India International Friendship Society for outstanding services, achievements and contributions.

His hobbies are: Gardening, Reading books, Helping needy & poor people, Social & Cultural activities and national integration. His foreign visits include visits to USA, England, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Mauritius, Nepal, Philippines, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil and Thailand.

(31) Piyush Ved Prakash Chandrakanta Baniya Goyal, the Minister of State with independent charge of Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy portfolios. According to Piyush Goyal, the three essentials for Sanatana Bharat’s Prosperous Future are self confidence, strengthened institutional framework and good governance.

Piyush Goyal was born to Ved Prakash Baniya Goyal and Chandrakanta Goyal in New Delhi on June 13, 1964. He is married to Seema Goyal and they have two children: Dhruv Piyush Ved Prakash Seema Baniya Goyal and Radhika Piyush Ved Prakash Seema Baniya Goyal. Piyush Goyal’s father Vedprakash Goyal was Union Minister of Shipping and the National Treasurer of the BJP for over two decades. His mother Chandrakanta Goyal was elected thrice to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Mumbai. His wife Seema Goyal is an active social worker. Their son Dhruv Goyal is studying at Harvard University, USA and and daughter Radhika Goyal is studying at Westminster School, UK.

Piyush Goyal (50) is the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy in the Government of India. He is currently a Member of Rajya Sabha and was earlier the National Treasurer of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He headed the BJP’s Information Communication Campaign Committee and oversaw the publicity and advertising campaign of the party including the social media outreach for the Indian General Elections 2014.

He has had a brilliant academic record – all-India second rank holder Chartered Accountant and second rank holder in Law in Mumbai University. He was a well-known investment banker and he has advised top corporations on management strategy and growth. He earlier served on the Board of India’s largest commercial bank, the State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda. He has participated in Leadership Programs at Yale University (2011), Oxford University (2012) and Princeton University (2013) and is currently pursuing the Owner/President Management (OPM) Program at Harvard Business School.

A top-notch investment banker, he has advised top corporations on management strategy and growth and has served on the Board of India’s largest commercial public sector bank, State Bank of India. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Bank of Baroda. He was also a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defense. As an active member of the Managing Committee of Indian Merchants Chamber, he is involved with Non-Governmental Organizations in their activities to improve tribal education and the welfare of the physically challenged persons.

During his 28 year long political career, he has held several important positions at different levels in the BJP and is in the National Executive of the Party. He had the privilege of being mentored by stalwarts such as Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India. He was also nominated by the Government of India to the prestigious Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers in 2002. He was the Dy. Campaign In-charge for the Parliament elections in 1991 and played a key role at the central level in all elections since 2004. He was the minister-in-waiting for US President Barack Obama who visited India on 26th January, 2015.

(32) Naresh S.C. Shanti Baniya Agrawal, son of S.C. Baniya Agarwal and Shanti Agarwal, was born on October 1, 1951 in Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. He is a senior leader of Samajwadi Party led by the senior National Leader and a Member of Parliament Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Mulayam Singh Yadav. Naresh Agarwal is a member of Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament, representing the interests of the States. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree and a Bachelor’s of Degree in Law from the Lucknow University, Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh. During his university days, he participated in many State level cricket and hockey tournaments in Uttar Pradesh. He married Manjul Agarwal on February 25, 1978 and they have two children, son Nitin S.C. Naresh Manjul Baniya Agarwal, a minister in UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s ministry. He has held numerous positions in his life so far: 1980-84 and 1989-2008 Member, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly 1997-2001 Minister of Power, Government of Uttar Pradesh 2003-2004 Minister of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh 2004-2007 Minister of Transport, Government of Uttar Pradesh 2007-2008 Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly March 2010 Elected to Rajya Sabha March 2010 onwards Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Aug. 2010 onwards Member, Committee on Home Affairs April 2011 onwards Member, Sub-Committee to examine various provisions of the Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Second Bill, 2010 of the Committee on Home Affairs Dec. 2011 onwards Member, Parliamentary Forum on Disaster Management Aug. 2012 Member, Committee on Finance

(33) Nitin S.C. Naresh Manjul Baniya Agrawal is a minister in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Minister. His father Naresh S.C. Shanti Baniya Agrawal is a member of Rajya Sabha representing Uttar Pradesh and a senior leader of Samajwadi Party. His mother is Manjul Agarwal. NItin Agarwal holds the portfolio of Health Ministry in Akhilesh Yadav’s ministry. He was born on August 9, 1981 in Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. He is an active and dedicated member of UP Samajwadi Party. He did his schooling from Delhi Public School, Ramakrishna Puram in New Delhi. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and his Masters of Business Administration degree from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management. He is a 2-time member of the UP Vidhana Sabha. He was elected, the first time, as MLA from the Hardoi Vidhana Sabha in 2008 and from the same constituency, the second time, in 2012. He is credited with several achievements: Facilitated a pilot project of online live reporting system for immunization programme sponsored by Kanha Tech (Reliance C.S.R. Fund), Setting up Medical Camps for Children and Women with Fortis in Hardoi, Facilitated Memo train from Lucknow to Hardoi, Modernized government hospitals in Hardoi District with digital colored X-ray, ultrasound machines and Facilitated the building of bridges in flood affected areas in Hardoi. He has held several positions: He was a Member of Public Account Committee, UP, from 2009 to 2012, was the chief of the he is in charge of the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare and the Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Sangathan from June 2013 – Present and State Minister, Medical and Health U.P. Govt., Feb 2013 – Present.

(34) Banarasi Das Agarwal Baniya Gupta (November 5, 1917 – 29 August 2007), born in Bhiwani, Haryana, was a 2-Time Chief Minister of Haryana State. He studied at Pilani in Rajasthan. He was a valiant freedom fighter against the foreign, European British rule of Sanatana Bharat, who was sent to jail during the foreign, colonial, European British rule of India. During that time, he established Parja Mandal in erstwhile Jind State, launched agitations for establishment of a responsible Government in Jind State and went to jail several times. He undertook several padyatras, collected thousands of acres of land and distributed it among the landless during the Mahatma Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi-Inspired Vinobha Bhave’s Bhoodan, Give Your Surplus Land Away to the Landless in India,Movement. He vigorously opposed social abuses, anomalies and disgraces such as the dowry system, the practice of Touch Me Not and child marriage. He advocated widow remarriage rights and community marriages with no trace of any dowry in them. He held several positions: the Founder of the All India Vaishya Federation (Vaishya Maha Sammelan), the Founder and Patron of the Maharaj Agrasen Medical Education & Scientific Research Society, Haryana, Trustee of Vaishya Maha Vidyalaya Trust which runs (i) Vaish Senior Secondary School and (ii) Vaish Model School, the Founder, Trustee and Member of Haryana Prakritik Chikitsalaya, the President of Managing Committee of (i) Vaish P.G. Boy’s College, (ii) Adarsh Mahila Mahavidyalaya (also founder of this institute) and (iii) and Chief Patron of All India Agarwal Baniya Vaishya Sammelan. He was president of All Indian Agarwal Sammelan for over 20 years and worked hard to unite the different sects of the trading community all over India. He held several political positions: a 3-Time Member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, the Speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, one-time Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana and two-time Chief Minister of Haryana and a member of Rajya Sabha elected in April 1996. During his tenure as Member of Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Elders of the Indian Parliament, he was voted as the best user of ) he was MPLAD funds, which stands for Funds Given Through Members of Parliament for the benefit of the public in the MP’s Constituency. His first term as Chief Minister of Haryana State was from 1975 to 1977 and his second term as the Chief Minister lasted for a few months in 1990.

Born on 5th Nov, 1917 Shri Banarasi Das Gupta was brought up in an ordinary family in a small village called Manhandu in the then Punjab’s district of Jind. His father Lala Ramsharup Das ji was a cultivator who also ran a shop in the village itself. Shri Banarasi Das Gupta had to struggle for his childhood education. Since there was very little scope for studies in his village; he had to walk 3 kms up and down to the nearer village Kitlana to complete the eighth standard. Then he had to move to the district head office of Jind, Sarkhi Dadri to complete his matriculation in the Sarkhi Dadri high school. Later he joined Birla College, Pilani for his higher studies. On February 28, 1941 Shri Banarasi Das Gupta got married to Shrimati Dropadi Guptaa, a daughter of reputed Bhoudhuka family from Tigrana village of Bhiwani district. Today, he has left behind one son – Ajay Gupta and a daughter Smt. Pramila Agarwal. Shri Ajay Gupta is married to Smt. Darshana Gupta. They have two children – one daughter Akriti who is studying Engineering in Bio-Technology and son Priyansh Gupta studying in School. Smt. Pramila Agarwal is married to Sh. Anand Agarwal.

When in 1937-38 the independence movement was at its peak across the country there was hardly any mass revolt in the Indian states of Punjab. Shri Banarasi Das Gupta rose to the occasion, worked hard and diligently to awaken the workers of these states and presided over the meeting and addressed the gathering in Ludhina. Shri Banarasi Das Gupta as an Arya Samaj activist and his focus on the national activities, influenced him to decide to attain this meeting along with his fellow students, who had the similar ideologies. Shri Gupta instantly decided to leave his studies and joined the revolt. He formed revolt units in Jind with the help of his fellow friends like Hansraj Rehbar, Devi dayal Sharma, Rajendra Jain, Mahashay Mancharam and Chadhury Mehtab Singh. In Patiala, along with many dedicated people like Gyani Jayl Singh, Satram Okil, Deth Ramnath formed revolt units, which awaken the common people and gave that spark to the independence movement. But it was not easy to run the revolt and it was very painstaking. The revolutionist soon became the victim of state government and was sentenced for imprisonment. Where they were overlooked as freedom fighters and merely treated as criminals. They were strapped with the heavy chains and were forced to do the hardcore work of the prisoners. Shri Gupta had to visit the Jail on several occasion.

On 28th feb, 1941 Shri Banarasi Das Gupta got married to Shrimati Dropadi Guptaa, a daughter of reputed Bhoudhuka family from Tigrana village of Bhiwani district. It’s on this auspicious day Shri Gupta reinforced his commitment as a freedom fighter when he addressed the meeting at Tigrana on his wedding day and motivated the people with independence slogans. In 1941 he was jailed on several occasions, had to bear the hardship punishments for it and eye sentenced for many years. After the 1942 Quit India movement the scenario of India changed. Most of the leaders came out of jail in 1945, the Aajad Hind Army was formed and revolt stated within British army. And the scenario of Jind was no exception to it. Maharaja Jind formed the legislative assembly with 65 members, out of whom Shri Gupta was one of the unopposed members.

In 1947, after India’s independence, Shri Gupta along with his friends had to lead the struggle to form Jind as another state. He formed a parallel government in Jind and captivated the all the workers of the state in the fort. The revolt unit leaders ruled the state for 15 days until the home minister of independent India Sarder Patel signed an agreement to merge Jind with Punjab. Shri Gupta’s unquestionable role and commitment for the nation never faded even after independence. He based Bhiwani for the social cause and started a revolt against 2 cloth mill owners, who have been violating the labour law and was taking undue advantage of them. First he called for a meeting of labours in Bhiwani for ‘National Labour Congress’ and then went for hunger strike demanding the welfare of the labours. The strike lasted for 17 days till the labours’ demands were fulfilled.

From 1953-1960 Shri Gupta was the president of Hissar Congress. In 1953 he also became the president of Bhiwani Municipal Corporation. In 1965 he was nominated as the president of Bhiwani Improvement Trust. Under his supervision Bhiwani progressed to a new level. When in 1968 Harayana faced the mid-term election, Shri Gupta won the election from the Bhiwani constituency as a congress candidate. He was also elected as Head-minister of Haryana Pradesh Congress at the same time. In the1972 election, Shri Gupta was again elected as MLA from the Bhiwani constituency. In this newly elected legislative assembly he was unanimously nominated as chairman of legislative assembly. In his tenure of chairmanship of legislative assembly he implemented Hindi as the official language, and helped Hindi towards making it as the national language. In 1973, when he resigned from the post of chairmanship of legislative assembly the then chief minister Chaudhary Bansilal included him in the ministry. He hold the post for Power, Agriculture, .., Health and… As a minister he changed the scenario of Bhiwani

In 1975 when Ch. Bansilal was included in the cabinet ministry, the congress and allies of legislative assembly on unanimously nominated shri Gupta as their leader. In 1987 when he once again got elected from Bhiwani Constituency, he was given the charge of vice-chief minister in the Ch. Devilal Ministry. It is for Shri Gupta’s interest and wish the “AROHA DEVELOPMENT BOARD” was formed. In first ever meeting of the board under the president ship of Ch. Devilal, a decision was taken that in the name of Maharaja Agrasen “Maharaja Agrasen Medical College” will be established in Agroha. It was shri Gupta’s Persistence that Haryana Govt. released 267 acres of land to the Agrawal Society for the Medical College, for just Rs. 1 in lease. And the Govt. also make an agreement with the society under which the Govt. decided to bear 50% of the development amount, and to handover the managements to the Agrawal Society while contributing 99% of the maintenance fee ; once the Medical College is developed. The rest 1% is to be bear by the Agrawal Society. It was this agreement which increase the momentum of the development of the Medical College.

In the 1989 Loksabha election, when V.P. Singh became the Prime Minister of India, and Ch. Devilal was elected as Vice-Prime Minister of India, Om Prakash Chautala, Son of Devilal was given the charge of chief Minister of Haryana. But he had to leave the office very soon for his alleged link in-charge sheet. In this moment of crisis it was shri Gupta to who everyone looked at to run the state. Once he became the chief Minister, he urged the business community to contribute the state progress, and for that he also suggested various business tips to them. But unfortunately, during this tenure of his Chief Minister ship, Devilal and his ideological differences widened and he resign from the post of Chief Minister. Though his resignation became a hot topic across the country, nevertheless, he became the victim of criminalism. The increased criminal activities within the political arena make him suffered at lot. It was 23rd September 1990, he was a chief guest of a function, “Maharaja Agrasen Anniversary” in Bhiwani. When a person called Rajbir shoot at him. The bullet crossed his chest but due to the prayer his fans and followers he survived this crisis. This incident re-inforced energy in him to return to the mainstream politics and on the invitation of then Congress President Rajiv Gandhi, he returns to the Congress Party.

Shri Gupta is the revolutionary, a symbol of unity and integrity amidst the Agrawal Society and the world as a whole. He became the president of All India Agrawal Committee. In 1981 and hold the post for next 18 years without any contest. From then he has been moving across the country, from villages to towns to cities to make people aware of upcoming challenges to the Agrawal and Vaishya Community. He believed if the Agrawal Community can leave aside all the drawbacks and get united then it would be the inspiration to the other communities, which may finally help in nation building. Now, shri Gupta is Chief Patron of All India Agrawal Committee.

When in the post of president ship of All India Agrawal Committee and All India Universal Mega Committee, he introduced 3 new ways to lead a life. Now these 3 ways have become the Mantra behind the awakening of Agrawal Community. The first of the 3 ways is – Eradication of dowry and other social evils. Second is – Universal brotherhood and the third is the development and progress of Agroha – the capital of Maharaja Agrasen’s Kingdom. He used the All India Agarwal committee and its traditions and values and the platform for social marriages and to eradicate the evils of dowry and other social evils. This is the reason why in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan this step has taken a shape of social welfare.

In his inspiration a massive rally was organized in 1989 at Delhi’s Historical Redfort. This Rally was organized to show solidarity of universal brother hood. The communal biasness has been rapidly influencing people, which is a threat to national integrity. So he has been raising his voice against all these odds. Not only that, he often visited states like Orissa, Assam, Punjab to force the govt. to take steps against these odds. Many dreamt to re-invent the Agroha, the capital of Maharaja Agrasen’s Kingdom, but all credit to Gupta who has realized this dream. He not only made Agroha a tourist place, but also forced the Haryana Govt. to take steps for development and progress of it. On his first meeting influenced to establish a Medical College in Agroha. It is his influence that Govt. of Haryana released 267 acres of land to this Medical College. Indeed he has given a new face to Agroha

His interest in literature was visible at the very beginning itself. He was the editor of hindi weekends “Apna Desh” and “Haryana Kesari” for years. His work “Panchayati Raj – Kyun aur Kaise”, which was written before independence was very popular. For years, he was the president of Haryana Pradesh Literature Committee. He is still the Patron of Haryana Pradesh Hindi Literature committee. Shri Gupta was very devoted towards spreading education. He was instrumental for establishing thousands of primary and middle schools in many villages before independence. When Govt. struggle to spread education in villages, he as a President of Municipal Committee improve the standards of Primary Education of Bhiwani. He opened a girls’ college, Adarsh Women College, in Bhiwani. He is the life-long chairman of the managements of this college. He was also president of Age old education institution “Vaishya College”, Bhiwani. In 1996, in the regime of Narasimha Rao and the Haryana Chief Minister Ch. Bhajan Lal Ji , he was unopposed elected to Rajya Sabha as Congress Candidate. He served as Rajya Sabha M.P. for 6 years and then, worked as social activist.

Till the age of 90, he strived for social welfare and work for social integrity. Wherever he went, he always addressed the youth and appealed to them to bring a about change in Indian Society. Be it child labor, women infanticide, dowry or corruption. He appealed for better education to inculcate moral values so as to establish and maintain social integrity. Today, under his supervision, Vaish College Trust, Bhiwani has been imparting knowledge and influencing many people. Throughout the life, he followed the Gandhian Principles. Be it following the non-violence method, wearing of Khadi clothes or living the life dedicated to truth, Shri Gupta was a true disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. He converted his paternal home in Manheru Village into a modern and well equipped library. This library is being run by his own resources and now is looked after by ‘Banarsi Dass Gupta Foundation’.

To maintain and complete the projects that he started and then to plan and implement bigger projects along his line of thought, the Banarasi Das Gupta Foundation was launched: “Our aims and Objectives are big and ambitious, however, realistic as babuji proved this starting almost 60 years ago. We live in the 21st century, an age of technology, speed and progress comparable to the speed of light. If our country has to move along with this fast moving world, we need to get together and work not only for our own progress but also help those who can’t help themselves”. The three main objectives of the Banarasi Das Gupta Foundation are: (a) Propagation of education, especially of the girl child. Babuji said, believed and propagated the fact that by educating the girl child you educate two households. The girl child is the neglected section of society in many parts of our country, especially in the field of education. It is an important area where a lot of work is required. (b) Women Empowerment by education and awareness in rural India, Despite government grants and policies, there is scope of lot of work to be done in Rural India, especially in terms of making rural women aware of their rights and (3) the foundation will also focus on areas like micro credit banking, computer education and e- education, strengthening of rural infrastructure- including healthcare, sanitation, rural commerce and disaster relief.

(35) Vijay Charti Lal Basanti Devi Agarwal Baniya Goel, born in Delhi on January 4, 1954, became the President of the Delhi Unit of Bharatiya Janata Party in February 2013. He was elected to the Upper House of Indian Parliament as a Member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan in 2014. His parents were Charti Lal Baniya Goel, a taxation lawyer, former Deputy Mayor and the former Speaker of Delhi Vidhana Sabha and Basanti Devi Goel. He completed his Master of Commerce degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce and a LL.B. degree from the University of Delhi. He was a student leader during his college and university days. He was the Treasurer of Akhila Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishat during 1974-1975 and became famous for exposure of corruption concerning fake certificates that was then operating at the University of Delhi. A life-long member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he opposed the then Prime Minister Indirani Priyadarshini Firoz Gandhi’s Imposition of Internal Emergency and went to jail demanding revival of freedom in India. A product of the Jayaprakash Narayan’s sampoorna kranti movement, Vijay Goel was jailed during Emergency along with his father and a former Speaker of Delhi Assembly Charti Lal Agarwal Baniya Goel. After his release from jail, Vijay Goel became president of Delhi University Students’ Union in 1977. He married Prof. Preeti Goel, a professor at the University of Delhi, on 8 March 1985 and they two children, one daughter Vidyun Vijay Charti Preeti Agarwal Baniya Goel and one son Siddhant Vijay Charti Preeti Agarwal Baniya Goel. A reputed politician and a public figure, Vijay Goel is a 3-Time Member of Parliament. He was elected to the 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabhas of Indian Parliament, representing the Sadar and Chandni Chowk constituencies in New Delhi. He also served as the Union Minister of State for Labor, Parliamentary Affairs, Statistics & Programe Implementation and Youth Affairs & Sports in the National Democratic Alliance Government under India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee until 2004. A renowned social activist and social reformer, Vijay Goel led protests against state-sponsored lotteries in India in 1993 under the banner of Lok Abhiyan, a socio-cultural organization. His campaign was supported by over 120 MPs of the Indian Parliament. Finally, his fight yielded tangible result and the pernicious single digit lotteries, detrimental to the welfare of the poor and gullible in India, were banned in India on July 7, 1998. Vijya Goel established a Toy Bank, a Not For Profit Organization, in 1987, to collect the used and new toys from the donors, to refurbish, re-burnish and restore them to good condition and distribute them later to the poor and disposed children in New Delhi and its surrounding areas. Vijay Goel is also a writer. His book, Delhi, the Emperor’s City: Rediscovering Chandni Chowk and its Environs, was published by Lustre Press in 2003. He has held several executive positions in the government of India: Former Union Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Planning Commission, Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs and Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementations. He was a member of several committees: Standing Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Consultative Committee on Urban Affairs, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Joint Parliamentary Committee, Public Accounts Committee, AIIMS Governing Body and DDA Advisory Committee. He was an active member of several social and cultural organizations: Vice President, Vaish Agarwal Educational Society, Trustee, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Pitampura in Delhi, President, Lok Abhiyan, Convener, Lottery Virodhi Aandolan, Convener, Bijli Paani Andolan, Founder, Heritage India Foundation and Convener, Citizen Forum for Commonwealth Games. His hobbies are listening to music and playing tabla. The milestones in his political journey are: Childhood – joined RSS, 1972 – joined NSS, NCC and ABVP, 1972-73 – Joint Secretary, Students Union, Shriram College of Commerce, 1974-75 – Supreme Councilor, Delhi University Students Union and Treasurer, ABVP, 1977 – joined BJYM and BJP, 1977-78 – President, Delhi University Students Union, 1980-82 – General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Delhi and Secretary, BJP, Delhi, 1986-88 – All India Secretary, BJYM, 1991-93 – General Secretary, BJP Delhi Sadar District, 1996 – 11th Lok Sabha, 1998 – 12th Lok Sabha, 1999 – 13th Lok Sabha, 2001-2003 – MOS PMO and Planning Commission, MOS PMO, MOS PMO and MOS Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, MOS Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Labor and MOS Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports – 2004 – BJP General Secretary, 2007 – BJP All India General Secretary and 2013-14 – Delhi State BJP President and Member of Rajya Sabha (April 2014 – Present).

(36) Pankaj Baniya Gupta is a member of Aam Admi Party’s National Executive Committee. As a professional engineer, he had for twenty five years in various senior positions in software companies. He resigned his software engineer job, took up active social work and taught children from economically backward sections of the Indian society. He is associated with Jan Lokpal movement of Anna Hazare on a full time basis.

(37) Anil Baniya Agarwal, Executive Chairman of the Vedanta Group of Companies. He founded the company in 1976. He is also the Chairman of Sterlite and a Director of BALCO, HZL and Vedanta Aluminium Ltd. Vedanta Resources operates in India, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Liberia, Ireland and Australia, with extensive interests in aluminium, copper, zinc, lead and silver.

(38) Navin Baniya Agarwal, Deputy Executive Chairman of the Vedanta Group of Companies. He chairs the group’s Executive Committee.

(39) Aditya Lakshmi N Baniya Mittal, a member of the Group Management Board of Arcelor Mittal Group of Companies. He is the chief financial officer (CFO) and CEO of ArcelorMittal Europe, responsible for Flat Carbon Europe, Long Carbon Europe and distribution solutions. Prior to this, he was chief financial officer of ArcelorMittal with responsibility for Flat Carbon Europe, investor relations and communications. He joined Mittal Steel in 1997, and was president and CFO of Mittal Steel Company from 2004 to 2006.

As CFO of Mittal Steel, he initiated and led Mittal Steel’s offer for Arcelor. In 2008, Aditya Mittal was named ‘European Business Leader of the Future’ by CNBC Europe. In 2011 he was ranked fourth in Fortune magazine’s ‘40 under 40’ list. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organisation and a board member at the Wharton School and PPR. Aditya Mittal has a degree in economics.

Good governance is a guiding principle at Arcelor Mittal. Our definition of good governance has three main elements. First, it means ensuring compliance with the external regulations and reporting requirements that come with being a listed company. Second, good governance is about having a continuous dialogue with our stakeholders, and strictly following our internal company policies and procedures on issues such as risk management and responsible sourcing. Finally, good governance has a wider definition in the sense of being a good corporate citizen. This means acting appropriately in our position as a major multinational organization and fulfilling the objectives of our governance and Corporate responsibility agenda.

(40) Ashutosh Baniya Gupta, born in 1965 in Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and happily married, is the head of the Delhi Unit of the Aam Admi Party. Son of an Income Tax Officer, Ashutosh Baniya Gupta graduated in science from Allahabad University. He secured a Master of Arts deggree in Philosophy and International Studies and a Master of Philosophy degree in Soviet Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. A journalist by profession, Ashutosh Gupta was the Managing Director for IBN7 of TV18 Group of Media Companies. He received the Dag Hammerskjöld UN Scholarship in 1997 which is given every year by the UN to 4 young journalists from third-world countries. One of the closest associates of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, he joined Aam Admi Party on January 9, 2014. A total novice to electoral politics, he was fielded by Arvind Kejriwal against the two former Union Cabinet Ministers Kapil Sibal and Dr. Harsh Agarwal Baniya Vardhan in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from the Chandni Chowk constituency. Putting up a sizzling perfromance, he easily pushed Kapil Sibal to the third position Dr. Harsh Vardhan defeated him for the seat. Ashutosh Gupta came second with more than 31% of the votes polled in the election. A journalist of great repute and a person with blemishless character and integrity, he is an avid supporter of Anna Hazare and his Anti-Corruption and Pro-Farmer Movements in India. No surprise, Ashutosh Gupta wrote a book on Anna Hazare and his August 2011 Anti-Corruption Movement: Anna: 13 Days That Awakened India. He is also the author of a second book: Mukhote Ka Rajdharm and he released this book on February 17, 2015.

(41) Ashish Baniya Khaitan is the Deputy Chairman of Aam Admi Party’s 9-Member Delhi Dialogues Committee to Implement the 70-Point Poll Promises of the party.The other members of the committee include the Delhi Government Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, and two other members to be nominated by Arvind Kejriwal. “The committee has formalized the structure of the Aam Admi Party’s Delhi Dialogue initiative so that the crucial link between the government and the public does not break,” Ashish Khaitan said. However, the 70-point agenda will just be the starting point for the commission and not its culmination as we invite people to mail us their suggestions to improve Delhi in multifaceted ways,” Ashish Khetan emphasized. According to Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s Deputy CM, “The commission will be a legally-notified high-powered body, which will make sure the AAP’s manifesto promises are implemented properly.” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is the chairman of this committee.

(42) Rajmohan Devdas Mohandas Karamchand Kasturba Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi is the son of Devdas Gandhi (22 May 1900 – 3 August 1964) who was the fourth and youngest son of Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Lakshmi Chakravarty Rajagopalachari, the daughter of Independent India’s first Governor General and the Chief of Swaraj Party C. Rajagopalachari. A member of Aam Admi Party, born in 1335, Rajmohan Gandhi is a biographer of his grandfather Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi and a Scholar in residence at Indian Institute of Technologyh, Gandhinagar, Gujarat State. He is married to Usha and they have two children: daughter Supriya Rajmohan Mohandas Karamchand Usha Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi and son Devadatta Rajmohan Mohandas Karamchand Usha Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi. In 1989, he unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi Constituency against Rajiv Firoz Gandhi. Subsequently, he became a member of the Upper House and served in the Rajya Sabha from 1990 to 1992. He joined Aam Admi Party on February 21, 2014 and unsuccessfully contested the 2014 General Elections to the Indian Parliament from the East Delhi Constituency.

(43) Gopalakrishna Devdas Mohandas Karamchand Kasturba Modh Vaishnav Baniya Gandhi, born on April 22, 1045, is the son of Devdas Gandhi (22 May 1900 – 3 August 1964) who was the fourth and youngest son of Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Lakshmi Chakravarty Rajagopalachari, the daughter of Independent India’s first Governor General and the Chief of Swaraj Party C. Rajagopalachari. He joined Indian Administrative Service in 1968 and remained as a Tamil Nadu state cadre till 1985. He was secretary to the Vice President of India from 1985 to 1987 and Joint Secretary to the President of India from 1987 to 1992. He worked as a High Commissioner of India to South Africa and Sri Lanka. He was the Governor of West Bengal state from 2004 to 2009.

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