Ram Naik

Ram Naik is a veteran political leader from Mumbai who served as a Union minister and as Governor of Uttar Pradesh. He was named for the Padma Bhushan in 2024 in the field of public affairs, from Maharashtra ^[1].

Early years

He was born on 16 April 1934 in Sangli, went to school in Atpadi, and earned a commerce degree from Pune University and a law degree from Mumbai University ^[2]. A member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from childhood, he became a full-time organising secretary of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1969 ^[2].

Eight elections

He won eight elections in a row in Mumbai: three terms in the Maharashtra assembly from Borivali (1978–85) and five in the Lok Sabha from Mumbai North (1989–2004) ^[2]. He made a practice of publishing a yearly report to voters on his work ^[2].

As a Union minister he held railways (as minister of state with independent charge), home affairs, planning and parliamentary affairs, and was later Cabinet minister for petroleum and natural gas ^[2]. As railways minister he set up the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation and started special local trains for women in Mumbai ^[2]. His citation credits him with the idea of the MP Local Area Development Scheme and with starting the singing of Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana in Parliament from 1992 ^[2]. A private member’s bill he moved, on promoting breastfeeding and restricting baby-food advertising, became law ^[2].

He was Governor of Uttar Pradesh from 2014 ^[2]. His memoirs, first serialised in the Marathi daily Sakal, were published as Charaiveti! Charaiveti!!, and he has received the Maharashtra government’s Laxmibai Tilak award for autobiography ^[2].