‘Demolition man’, martial arts expert, envoy in PM’s new team

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. An IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre, Singh rose up the ranks to become the Home Secretary of India. Elected as a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Singh was member of the Parliamentary standing committees on health and family welfare, personnel, pensions and public grievances and law & justice. As a bureaucrat, Singh served in various crucial posts.

A former IPS officer of the 1980 batch, Maharashtra cadre, Singh is a recipient of the

Special Service Medal for work in the Naxalite areas of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1990. A Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Singh has a MSc and MPhil in Chemistry, MBA in strategic banagement from Australia, and a A former IFS officer of the 1974 batch, known for his expertise in foreign policy and national security, Puri is the president and chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and was the vicepresident of International Peace Institute, New York. He also worked as Permanent RepresentaSStive of India to UN. Popularly known as Delhi’s ‘Demolition Man’ during his stint as DDA commissioner, Alphons is a an former IAS officer of the 1979 batch. He was listed in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994. He pioneered the literacy movement as collector of Kottayam by making it the first 100% literate. A Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, Shekhawat is member of the Parliamentary standing committee on finance and chairperson of the fellowship committee. Known for his simple life style, he is one of the most followed political leaders on Quora globally. A sports enthusiast, Shekhawat has participated at national and All-India Inter-University level in basket ball. He currently is a member of the All-India Council of Sports and president of Basketball India Players

Association. Elected as an MP for the first time when he was 28 years old, Hedge is now a 5th term Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. During his multiple stints in the Parliament, he has been a member of many Parliamentary standing committees including finance, home affairs, HRD, commerce, agriculture and external affairs. Hegde is also the founder president of Kadamba, an NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, SHGs, rural marketing and other rural welfare programmes.

SOURCES SAID THAT THE MAIN AIM BEHIND THE SELECTION OF THE NEW FACES IS TO FOCUS

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