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Dharmendra Pradhan

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Dharmendra Pradhan
ଧର୍ମେନ୍ଦ୍ର ପ୍ରଧାନ
Pradhan in May 2019
Union Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 July 2021
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byRamesh Pokhriyal
Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
In office
7 July 2021 – 10 June 2024
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byMahendra Nath Pandey
Succeeded byJayant Chaudhary (as MoS I/C)
In office
3 September 2017 – 30 May 2019
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byRajiv Pratap Rudy
Succeeded byMahendra Nath Pandey
Union Minister of Steel
In office
30 May 2019 – 7 July 2021
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byChaudhary Birender Singh
Succeeded byRamchandra Prasad Singh
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
In office
26 May 2014 – 7 July 2021
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Preceded byVeerappa Moily
Succeeded byHardeep Singh Puri
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 June 2024
Preceded byNitesh Ganga Deb
ConstituencySambalpur, Odisha
In office
17 May 2004 – 18 May 2009
Preceded byDebendra Pradhan
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
ConstituencyDeogarh, Orissa
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
4 April 2018 – 3 April 2024[1]
Preceded byPrakash Javadekar
ConstituencyMadhya Pradesh
In office
3 April 2012 – 2 April 2018
Succeeded byManoj Jha
ConstituencyBihar
Personal details
Born (1969-06-26) 26 June 1969 (age 55)
Talcher, Odisha, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Spouse
Mridula Pradhan
​
(m. 1998)​
Children2
Parents
Residence
Alma materUtkal University (MA)
Occupation
  • Social worker
  • politician
Websitehttp://dpradhanbjp.com

Dharmendra Pradhan (born 26 June 1969) is an Indian politician who has served as the Minister of Education since 2021.[2] From 2021 to 2024, he also served as Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the Government of India. He is an alumnus of Talcher Autonomous College and Utkal University. He has also held the portfolios of Minister of Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Minister of Steel.[3]

He was appointed a Cabinet Minister on 3 September 2017. He represents Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha. Previously, he was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. In March 2024, he won the Sambalpur constituency as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.[4][5]

Dharmendra Pradhan has five pending criminal cases, including one under the IPC for allegedly "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony".[6]

Early Life

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Pradhan was born on 26 June 1969, in Talcher, Odisha,[7] to Debendra Pradhan, who was a Minister of State in the Vajpayee government from 1999 to 2004.

He became an Akhil bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activist in 1983 while studying at Talcher College, where he was elected president of the student union and later secretary. He holds a post-graduate degree in Anthropology from Utkal University in Bhubaneswar.[8]

After holding various positions in the Bharatiya Janata Party, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 from the Deogarh. He has also served two terms as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Bihar and later Madhya Pradesh.[9]

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas

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He served as the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, initially joining as Minister of State (Independent Charge) in 2014 and being promoted to Cabinet rank in 2017.[10]

On 31 May 2019, he began his second consecutive term as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Pradhan was involved with the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, a program aimed at increasing access to LPG connections in rural areas.[11]

He oversaw the introduction of a new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy and consumer initiatives such as PAHAL and the Give It Up campaign.[12]

He advocated for policies to facilitate India's transition toward increased use of natural gas. During his tenure, approximately $60 billion was invested in expanding the city gas distribution network.[13]

Minister of Steel

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During his tenure as Minister of Steel, policies were introduced to enhance production capacity, support the secondary steel sector, and encourage job creation and value addition. He launched the Ispati Irada and Mission Purvodaya initiatives.[14][15]

Minister of Skill Development

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As Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, he launched initiatives focused on reskilling and upskilling. The number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) increased by over 40%, and student enrollment increased by over 28% until 2019.[16] He introduced the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) and Skill Saathi.[17]

Critics of these programs have noted discrepancies in job placement rates following skill development initiatives and have expressed concerns over the short duration of training programs.[18][19][20]

Minister of Education

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In July 2021, Pradhan became the Minister of Education (India) in the Second Modi ministry.[21] He resumed the office on 10 June 2024.[22]

He has faced accusations of mismanagement and corruption from opposition parties regarding the 2024 NEET controversy, which arose following allegations of question paper leaks and the sudden declaration of the NEET-UG results on 4 June 2024 10 days earlier than the originally scheduled date. While the Supreme Court of India did not find large-scale wrongdoing by Pradhan,[23][24] investigations confirmed cases of cheating and malpractice, leading to over 100 arrests.[25] In 2024, he appointed a high-level committee led by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to recommend reforms to improve the entrance examination system of the NTA.[26]

Positions held

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  • In-charge, BJP Uttar Pradesh
  • Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Jul 2021 – Present)
  • Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Steel (May 2019 - Jul 2021)
  • Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Sept 2017 - May 2019)
  • Minister of State (Independent Charge): Petroleum & Natural Gas (May 2014 - Sept 2017)
  • Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Madhya Pradesh (MP): April 2018 - 2024[27]
  • Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Bihar: 2012– 2018
  • In-charge, BJP Karnataka: 2011–2013
  • Bharatiya Janata Party All India General Secretary: 2010–2015
  • Co-Incharge, BJP Bihar: State Elections
  • In-charge, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM):
  • In-charge, BJP Jharkhand:
  • Election In-charge, BJP Uttarakhand
  • Bharatiya Janata Party National Secretary: 2007–2010
  • In-charge, BJP Chhattisgarh: 2007–2010
  • Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Deogarh, Odisha: 2004–2009
  • Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha National President: 2004–2006
  • Member of Odisha Legislative Assembly from Pallahara Assembly constituency: 2000–2004
  • National Secretary, ABVP: 1995[28]
  • President, Talcher College Students' Union: 1985
  • Started as an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist: 1983
Lok Sabha
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Deogarh
2004 – 2009 		Succeeded by
Constituency ceased to exist
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
26 May 2014 – 7 July 2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Rajiv Pratap Rudy
Minister of State (Independent Charge)
 Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
3 September 2017 – 29 May 2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Steel
30 May 2019 – 7 July 2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
7 July 2021 – Present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Minister of Education
7 July 2021 – Present 		Incumbent

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Former PM Manmohan Singh Retires From Rajya Sabha After 33 Years". 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Ministers | Ministry of Education, GoI". dsel.education.gov.in. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  3. ^ eburlinghaus (14 December 2020). "H.E. Dharmendra Pradhan". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Fifth-list-bjp-candidates-ensuing-general-elections-2024-parliamentary-constituencies". Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Bullish Wins & Bearish Losses: Here are the key contests and results of 2024 Lok Sabha polls". The Economic Times. 6 June 2024. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Dharmendra Pradhan(Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)):Constituency- SAMBALPUR(ODISHA) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". www.myneta.info. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Digital Sansad". Digital Sansad. National Informatics Centre. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Dharmendra Pradhan: From ABVP activist to Education and Skill Development Minister". www.thehindubusinessline.com. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Dharmendra Pradhan: Age, Biography, Education, Wife, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". oneindia.com. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Dharmendra Pradhan's triumphant return: A profile of Odisha's lone warrior in Modi's cabinet". BusinessLine. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Dharmendra Pradhan: Ujjwala Man who helped BJP make inroads in Patnaik's citadel". The Economic Times. PTI. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Give-it-Up: Over 1 crore LPG users gave up their subsidies". The Economic Times. 21 April 2016. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  13. ^ "USD 60 billion investment coming in gas infrastructure: Dharmendra Pradhan". @businessline. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  14. ^ "'Ispati Irada' launched by Pradhan during Steel Chintan Shivir". psuwatch.com. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Dharmendra Pradhan unveils Mission Purvodaya to develop eastern region into a integrated steel hub". newsonair.com. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  16. ^ "2.5 Crore people trained under Skill India in 3 years". outlookindia.com/. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Skill Saathi Youth Conclave Feb 25 - OrissaPOST". Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  18. ^ Sivapriyan, E. T. B. "Skill training: An incomplete solution to India's unemployment crisis". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  19. ^ Nadda, Prashant K. "India's flagship skills mission struggles with lowly 20% placement rate for trainees". Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Skill India Mission: Short Courses, No Employable Skills and a Lack of Jobs". thewire.in. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  21. ^ "Modi cabinet rejig: Full list of new ministers". India Today. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  22. ^ Dharmendra Pradhan takes oath as Cabinet Minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Modi 3.0. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "NEET paper Leak Case Supreme Court Hearing Live Updates: All examination centres must have CCTVs, says apex court". The Times of India. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  24. ^ "Amid NEET-NTA row, Opposition shouts 'shame' as Dharmendra Pradhan takes oath in Lok Sabha". The Indian Express. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  25. ^ "NEET: Why an exam has sparked national outrage in India". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  26. ^ https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/union-education-minister-dharmendra-pradhan-centre-undertaking-reforms-to-ensure-entrance-exam-system-error-free/cid/2063482
  27. ^ "MoPNG".
  28. ^ "About Dharmendra Pradhan | Biography". Archived from the original on 31 July 2016.
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