Prem Kumar Dhumal

Prem Kumar Dhumal
Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh
Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh
Constituency	Bamsan
In office 24 March 1998 – 6 March 2003
Preceded by	Virbhadra Singh
Succeeded by	Virbhadra Singh
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2008
Preceded by	Virbhadra Singh
Personal details
Born	10 April 1944 (1944-04-10) Samirpur, Hamirpur district
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)	Sheela Dhumal
Children	two sons, Arun & Anurag
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Teacher
Religion	Hindu

Prem Kumar Dhumal (born 1944) is an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh from March 1998 to March 2003 and has been Chief Minister again since 1 January 2008.

Electoral career

He was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha in 1989 and 10th Lok Sabha in 1991 as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Hamirpur parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh. He also served as the leader of opposition in state legislative assembly of Himachal Pradesh before winning the Lok Sabha bypoll in 2007 from Hamirpur. In the December 2007 elections, his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, won the elections to the Vidhan Sabha. As he was the Chief Ministerial Candidate, he was chosen as chief minister.

Early years and personal life

Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal born to Capt. Mahant Ram and Smt. Phulmu Devi on 10.04.1944 in the Samirpur Village of Hamipur District, is married to Smt. Sheela Dhumal. They have two sons, Arun & Anurag - who is also an MP and the President of HPCA. Prof. Dhumal, having started his career as an Assistant with the Life Insurance Corporation of India, has climbed to the summit to be the Chief Minister with sheer hard work and single-mindedness of the purpose. Prof. Dhumal is a multi-faceted personality, he is an academician and having completed his Post Graduation in English literature and a degree in Law, while, first working with LIC and later as a teacher with the Panjabi University Evening College Jalandhar and then Doaba College, Jalandhar city. He is a politician but a true human being first, which has its bearings from the days when he was learning the finer points of politics as an office bearer of the Punjab and Chandigarh College teachers union.

Political career

His political career has also started from ground Zero i.e. from an ordinary party worker, then as an office bearer of the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha to the State BJP party President in 1993. He has been a 3 times an MP and 3rd time MLA. In 1998, when he was first elected to the State Vidhan Sabha, he became the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. This is his 2nd tenure as the Chief Minister of the state. His economic Philosophy is the upliftment of all, through the optimum development of state potential so vividly reflected in the bold initiatives in power sector, projects worth 6000 MW were started in his first tenure as compared to a paltry 298 MW executed in the last fifty years before his arrival. The wide spread road network and the easy connectivity has earned him the sobriquet of "सड़क वाला मुख्यमन्त्री","The CM street". His path breaking policy initiatives in the Education sector ensured 3 pucca rooms in each primary School in the state. This scheme was replicated in many states after being adopted by the NABARD. Merit Scholarships guaranteed education to all sections and development within the environmental limits resulted in conferment of Golden Peacock award, twice, first for the most innovative management practices in six key areas of governance and 2nd time for following the clean development mechanisms and thus also becoming the ‘Green Chief Minister’. The Development, ‘vision documents’ for various departments coupled with the most liberal industrial package received by the state, were the other highlights of the first tenure.

the Himachali people

As the true champion of Himachali people, ensured his return as the Chief Minister for the 2nd time with a massive mandate, Prof. Dhumal got down to governance with the renewed vigour. His motto of "सड़क, शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य, स्वरोजगार, स्वावलम्बन व स्वाभिमान","Roads, education, health, self, and Aswaoalamban and self"encompasses the all inclusive growth formula for all sections/regions of the state. His development practices include environmental protection and the clean developmental practices for ensuring Himachal becoming the first carbon-neutral state in the country. The establishment of a voluntary environmental fund, mooting of a security shield for the country in the shape of Pathankot-Manali-Leh-Ladakh Railway line, ban on holding of political functions in government schools and thus deliverance of school children from the shackles of captive audience, an official ‘No’ to the garlanding of public functionaries either at the cost of public exchequer or private individuals and petty savings so effected by the public are channelised into the Chief Minister’s relief fund. Higher literacy in the state to be tapped and establishment of world class educational institutions as the next ambitious goal. The fast tracking of development in harmony with the environmental protection with the involvement of citizens is Prof. Dhumal’s motto:-

"हर हिमाचली पर्यावरण का प्रहरी प्रखर, पर्यावरण संरक्षण में विकास की डगर" ।

“Each Himachali is the sentinel of environment Ensuring conservation-march on development" Ironically, however, his government has been accused of seeling himachal lands to private universities for huge grants. though his government did not accept the opposition's allegations, things came to an expose when many BJP ex-leaders left the part in the first week of february ,2011 to form a new party, the himachal lokhit party, alleging dhumal's non-action and clandestine support to the land mafia.