Raghuvansh Prasad Singh


Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Vaishali constituency of Bihar and is the national vice president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party. He is one of the senior most politician's in India as a peoples representative in the legislature for four decades from 1977. He started his political career when he was elected as an MLA and was subsequently made the energy minister of Bihar in the Karpoori Thakur cabinet. He has represented belsand constituency five times in the Bihar vidhan sabha. He was made the member of Bihar legislative council in 1991 post which he became the chairman of Bihar legislative council.He has represented vaishali constituency from Bihar in lok sabha consecutively for five terms and has been in the union cabinet for three terms. He was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in UPA-I of Manmohan Singh's government and is credited with conceptualization and implementation of NREGA
Singh is a Professor and Phd. in mathematics and an expert in rural and agricultural landscape in India.
Political journey :
1973-77 Secretary, Samyukta Socialist Party, Sitamarhi district
1977-90 Member, Bihar Legislative Assembly
1977-79 Minister of State, Power, Government of Bihar
1979-80 Member, Committee on Questions and Calling Attention
1980-85 President, Lok Dal, Sitamarhi district
1985-89 Member, Central Parliamentary Board, Lok Dal
1985-90 Member, Public Accounts Committee
1987-90 Member, Pratyayukta Samiti
1989-90 Chairman, Library Committee
1990 Deputy Speaker, Bihar Legislative Assembly
1991-94 MLC, Bihar Legislative Council
1991-95 Member, Bihar Legislative Council
1994-95 Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council
1995-96 Minister, Energy, Relief, Rehabilitation and Department of Official Languages, Government of Bihar
1996 Elected to 11th Lok Sabha
1996-97 Union Minister of State, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
1997-98 Union Minister of State, Food and Consumer Affairs
1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha
1998-99 Chairman, Committee on Food, Civil Supplies and Public Distribution; and its Sub-Committees on Department of Food and Civil Supplies; Department of Sugar and Edible Oils; Department of Consumer Affairs; and Department of Coordination
Member, General Purposes Committee
Member, Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Agriculture
1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha
1999-2000 Leader, Rashtriya Janata Dal Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha
Member, Committee on Home Affairs
1999-2004 Member, General Purposes Committee
2004 Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha
23 May 2004 - 2009 Union Cabinet Minister, Rural Development
Vice President, Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation & Management
2009 Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha
Jun. 2009 Member, Panel of Chairmen, Lok Sabha
6 Aug. 2009 Member, Committee on Estimates
31 Aug. 2009 Member, Committee on Home Affairs
19 Oct. 2009 General Purpose Committee
Social and Cultural Activities Associated with socialist movement; Teachers movement; Farmers movement; and activities related to nation building
Special Interests Social service; struggle against exploitation; legal aid to the farmers, the labourers and the oppressed; promotion of education and educational reforms
Sports and Clubs Yoga and exercise
Favourite Pastimes and Recreation Music
Countries Visited South Korea,Germany, U.K., Mauritus and U.S.A.
Other Information : Imprisoned during socialist movement, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan movement and several political agitations