M. Venkaiah Naidu
A political leader for five decades and Vice-President of India from 2017 to 2022, honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2024.
Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu served as the 13th Vice-President of India and has been in politics for more than fifty years. He was named for the Padma Vibhushan in 2024 in the field of public affairs, from Andhra Pradesh [1].
Early years
He was born on 1 July 1949 in Chavatapalem village, Nellore district [2]. He entered politics as a student activist and took an active part in the Jai Andhra movement of 1972 [2]. He studied law at Andhra University [2].
Legislator and minister
He was a member of the Andhra Pradesh assembly from Udayagiri for ten years and then spent nearly 24 years in the Rajya Sabha, representing Karnataka and Rajasthan [2]. He was Union Minister of Rural Development in 1999, and from 2014 to 2017 held portfolios including parliamentary affairs, urban development and information and broadcasting [2]. He also held leadership roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party, including national president [2].
Vice-President
From 2017 to 2022 he was Vice-President and chairman of the Rajya Sabha, where he worked with leaders of all parties and stressed the role of parliamentary committees [2]. He has spoken often for wider use of Indian languages in education and government [2]. He founded the Swarna Bharat Trust, which works on women’s empowerment, youth skills and rural health and livelihoods [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2024: citation for M. Venkaiah Naidu — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 15 October 2026.
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