‘Demolition man’, martial arts expert, envoy in PM’s new team
SOURCES SAID THAT THE MAIN AIM BEHIND THE SELECTION OF THE NEW FACES IS TO FOCUS MORE ON THE LAST MILE DELIVERY OF SCHEMES
NEW DELHI: Imagine a minister who loves classical music but is also a Taekwando master, or a top cop with a PhD in Naxalism.
The nine new ministers bring with them experience and expertise. Sources added that the main aim behind the selection of the new faces is to focus more on the last mile delivery of schemes.
Anantkumar Hegde practices Tae-Kwando and loves to listen to Indian classical music.
Satyapal Singh, 61, the former Mumbai Police commissioner, has been working on a new book “Encounters with Politicians Before Joining Politics.” His new job will mean he will have to interact more with politicians and common people. His earlier book “Talaash Insan Kee” had sold more than 1 lakh copies. The PhD in Naxalism has also written a book on “Tackling Naxalism – An Indian Perspective.” The first-time MP has an MSc and MPhil in Chemistry.
Two new ministers, Hardeep Singh Puri, 65, and Raj Kumar Singh (64) have a thing in common: they both studied at St. Stephens, Delhi. While Puri went on to become an illustrious diplomat, Singh retired as the union home secretary.
Singh loves riding and shooting and has interest in internal security—a subject he handled for many years—and defence. He is also a life member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.
Puri will be joining the Union Council of Ministers after spending over 40 years as a career diplomat. The 1974 batch Indian Foreign Services officer was the permanent representative of India to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. He was also India’s ambassador to Brazil and the United Kingdom. Like many other BJP leaders, Puri too, was active during the JP movement. He studied in The Hindu College, Delhi.
Alphons Kannanthanam was born in a non-electrified Manimala village in Kerala’s Kottayam. When he was the district collector of Kottayam, the town became India’s first 100% literate town in 1989. The first Malayali face of the Narendra Modi government was best known as “the demolition man” when he headed the Delhi Development Authority.