Raman Singh is the present chief minister of Chhattisgarh and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on 7th December 2003. In 2005, he prohibited Naxalite Organisations in Chhattisgarh. The Opposition Party also supported this move of his as well, led by Mahendra Karma.
Life of Raman Singh
Raman Singh was born on 15th October 1952 in the current Kabirdham district of Chhattisgarh. Singh hails from a farming family. His father is Vighnaharan Singh Thakur and mother, Sudha Singh. Raman Singh has a degree in Ayurvedic Medicine. He is married to Veena Singh.
Political Career of Raman Singh
Raman Singh began his political career in the youth wing of Bharatiya Jana Sangh. During 1976-77, Singh was the president of the Jana Sangh`s youth wing in Kawardha. In 1990 and 1998 Singh was elected to Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. In the year 1983, he was elected for the post of councillor of Kawardha Municipality. From Kawardha, Raman Singh was voted MLA in 1990 and retained the seat in 1993. His international activities include contribution in the 6th meeting of Common Wealth Nations Parliamentary Union in 1994. In the Indian Trade Fair in Israel, Nepal, Palestine and Dubai, Raman Singh also led the country. Singh was the Member of Parliament in 1999 and during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government he served as Minister of State of Commerce and Industry. He was later named as President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the new state of Chhattisgarh. It was under his leadership that the party became victorious in the 2003 state Assembly elections.
Under his leadership, Chhattisgarh became first in the country to implement the 20-point programme on the development of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes (2006-2007) as per the assessment of the Statistics and Programme Implementation Ministry, Government of India. Singh is known as Mr. Clean in Chhattisgarh, for the momentous reduction in corruption while executing Government scheme and plans during his term. His work was also appreciated by the United Nations. In 2005 he also banned naxalite organisations in Chattisgarh under the "Salwa Judum" initiative.
Raman Singh regained power in the state in the Assembly elections held in December 2008. Singh was sworn in for his 2nd consecutive term on December 12, 2008.
