Profile of Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Rural Development

Shri Jairam Ramesh is a Member of the Parliament of India representing Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha. Prior to his new assignment, he was holding charge as the Minister Of State (independent charge) in the Ministry Of Environment and Forests in UPA-II. Shri Jairam Ramesh has also worked as the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry as well as the Minister of State for Power in the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

Shri Jairam Ramesh has earlier been Advisor to the Finance Minister during 1996-98, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission during 1992-94 and to the Prime Minister in 1991. He has served in the Planning Commission, Ministry of Industry and other economic departments of the Central Government. He has been entrusted with numerous special assignments like, for reorganizing India’s international trade agencies in 1990 and for implementing the technology missions during 1987-89, for reorganizing the CSIR in 1986 and for analyzing energy policy during 1983-85. He was also invited to join the official delegation to the WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999.

Born on 9 April 1954 at Chikmagalur in Karnataka, Shri Jairam Ramesh has studied public management at Carnegie Mellon University during 1975-77, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) technology policy, economics, engineering and management as part of the newly –established inter-disciplinary Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), Mumbai in 1975. In 2001, IIT Bombay presented him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Shri Jairam Ramesh has been a pioneer in putting forward the Green India initiative during his stint as the Union Minister of Environment & Forests .He has authored a number of key government reports in area as diverse as energy, technology, capital goods, industrial policy and telecom. He has been a founding member of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad promoted by the Wharton School, London Business School, and Kellogg School of Management and is a member of the International Council of the New York-based Asia Society. His column on economics and public policy called ‘Kautilya’ in The Times of India is very popular. He is also the author of the book ‘Making Sense of Chindia’, a book that describes the forces of globalization and liberalization, and is an assessment of international relations in today’s world. Shri Jairam Ramesh has also anchored a number of popular television programs on business and the economy including Business Breakfast and Crossfire. It is expected that under his dynamic leadership the Ministry of Rural Development would carry forward its pro poor and pro people initiatives on the road to inclusive growth and development.

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(Release ID :73242)