Pranab Mukherjee is the current Finance Minister of India as well as the leader of the 15th Lok Sabha. He is amongst the senior members of the Cabinet Committees on Political Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, Economic Affairs, Security, Infrastructure, World Trade Organisation etc. Mukherjee also leads the assembly of Ministers that probes the assumed corruption of the earlier National Democratic Alliance government. Being a member of the Indian National Congress, Pranab Mukherjee is a part of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He was bestowed with the title of "Finance Minister of the Year for Asia" by the daily newspaper, Emerging Markets. He was also awarded as the Finance Minister of the Year, in 2010, by The Banker.

Early Life of Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Kumar Mukherjee was born on 11th December 1935, in Mirati village near Kirnahar town, District Birbhum, West Bengal. Pranab Mukherjee was born to father Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee, and Indian National Congress Party activist from 1920, a member of AICC and West Bengal Legislative Council (1952-64) and to mother Rajlakshmi Mukherjee. Pranab Mukherjee attended the Suri Vidyasagar College, Suri (Birbhum), affiliated to the University of Calcutta. He obtained Masters Degree in both History and Political Science, and an honorary D. Litt as well. From the University of Calcutta, Mukherjee obtained a Degree in Law and has been an Advocate and College Teacher at some time. He also worked as a journalist for the Bengali publication named Desher Dak.

Political Career of Pranab Mukherjee
His association with politics started at very early age hand in hand with his father. In 1969, Pranab Mukherjee first became a Rajya Sabha member from the Congress Party and continued re-electing in 1975, 1981, 1993 and 1999. In 1985, he was also the president of West Bengal state unit of Congress. He joined the cabinet in 1973, as Union Deputy Minister, Industrial Development. Mukherjee has rose through a series of cabinet positions and finally reached to an outmost designation, the Finance Minister of India between 1982 and 1984.

Pranab Mukherjee departed the Congress Party for a brief period. But in 1989, he re-entered. His political career again revived with the P.V. Narashima Rao Government and he was appointed as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and conversantly as a Union Cabinet Minister. For the first time from 1995 to 1996, he served as Foreign Minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao cabinet. He was conferred in the year 1997 as Outstanding Parliamentarian. This striking personality has been a member of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, of the World Bank, of the Asian Development Bank, and of the African Development Bank. Pranab Mukherjee chaired the Group of 24, in 1984, attached to the IMF and World Bank. He presided over the SAARC Council of Ministers Conference, between May and November 1995. From 1991 to 1996, he has also held the position of Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

He was always a member of the Rajya Sabha throughout his long career. He has been voted to the Rajya Sabha 5 times by a party-based voting system. In the Lok Sabha elections, he lost twice. Pranab Mukherjee brought off to obtain the Safe Seat of Jangipur, West Bengal, in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and finally entered the 14th Lok Sabha. His talents were again displayed during the negotiations for the Patent`s Amendment Bill in 2005. As Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee was not officially involved but was persuaded for his negotiation skills. The bill was finally approved on March 23, 2005. Another feather to his political career was added on 24 October 2006, when Pranab Mukherjeee was appointed as the External Affairs Minister of India. He again became the Finance Minister in the 2nd Manmohan Singh led Government. He presented the Union Budget of India in 2009 and 2010, as well as the 2011 budget.

Books Written by Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Mukherjee has written books on his credit. (i) Mid-term Poll, 1969, (ii) Beyond Survival: Emerging Dimensions of Indian Economy, 1984, (iii) Off the Track, 1987, (iv) Saga of Struggle and Sacrifice, 1992, and (v) Challenges before the Nation (on Indian National Congress), 1992. Pranab Mukherjee has gradually earned the respect of being the 2nd positioned man in the Cabinet of India. He has a parliamentary career that spans nearly 4 decades.

Awards Won by Pranab Mukherjee
He was rated as the best Finance Minister of the World in 1984 according to the survey conducted by Euromoney magazine. He also received the award for "Finance Minister of the Year for Asia" in 2010, by Emerging Markets daily newspaper of record for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Banker in 2010 recognized Pranab Babu as "Finance Minister of the Year" after making significant inroads into budget deficit reduction, throughout a turbulent year.

Personal Life of Pranab Mukherjee
On July 13th, 1957, Pranab Mukherjee was married to Suvra Mukherjee and the couple has 2 sons, Abhijit and Surojit and a daughter named Sharmistha. His son Abhijit is a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.