Nitin Gadkari: A Visionary Leader and a Reformer
Nitin Gadkari is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the Minister for Road Transport and Highways in the Government of India. He is also the longest serving minister in this portfolio, having held it since 2014. He is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a member of parliament from Nagpur constituency. He is widely regarded as a visionary leader and a reformer who has transformed the infrastructure sector in India with his innovative and ambitious projects.
Biography
Nitin Gadkari was born on 27 May 1957 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, to Jairam Gadkari and Bhanutai Gadkari. He belongs to a Deshastha Brahmin family. He completed his M.Com, LL.B and Diploma in Business Management from the University of Nagpur. He is a lawyer by profession and an industrialist by occupation. He is married to Kanchan Gadkari and has three children.
Gadkari started his political career as a student activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP, in 1976. He became the secretary of the ABVP's Vidarbha region in 1978. He then joined the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, and became its city president in 1981. He was elected as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the graduates' constituency in 1990. He served as the Minister of Public Works Department (PWD) of the Government of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999, where he initiated several landmark projects such as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Thane Creek Bridge. He also became the president of the Maharashtra state unit of the BJP in 2004. He was appointed as the national president of the BJP in 2009 and served till 2013. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Nagpur and won with a huge margin. He was given the charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Modi cabinet. He also held additional portfolios of Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the first and second terms of the Modi government.
Contribution to India’s Economy
Nitin Gadkari is known as the "Expressway Man of India" for his remarkable contribution to the development of roads, highways and other transport infrastructure in India. He has been instrumental in implementing the Prime Minister's vision of making India a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25. He has been credited with increasing the pace of highway construction from 12 km per day in 2014 to 37 km per day in 2021. He has also launched several mega projects such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Sagarmala Project, the Chardham Highway Project, the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, the Zojila Tunnel, the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel and the Atal Tunnel. He has also promoted the use of alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, CNG, LNG and electric vehicles to reduce pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. He has also taken initiatives to revive the waterways and coastal shipping in India, such as the Jal Marg Vikas Project, the National Waterway-1, the Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ferry services and the inland water transport terminals. He has also been a champion of the MSME sector, which contributes to 29% of India's GDP and 48% of its exports. He has introduced various schemes and policies to support the MSMEs, such as the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, the Fund of Funds, the Udyam Registration Portal, the GeM Portal, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission and the Coir Board.
Achievements
Nitin Gadkari has received several awards and accolades for his outstanding achievements and leadership. Some of them are:
- The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award in 2010 for his contribution to infrastructure development in Maharashtra.
- The Economic Times Business Reformer of the Year Award in 2014 for his role in reviving the road sector in India.
- The Skoch Challenger Award in 2015 for his exemplary performance as the Minister of Road Transport and Highways.
- The NDTV Indian of the Year Award in 2016 for his contribution to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Namami Gange Programme.
- The Dainik Bhaskar India Pride Award in 2017 for his achievements in the infrastructure sector.
- The Forbes India Leadership Award in 2018 for his visionary leadership and innovation in the transport sector.
- The Nagpur Ratna Award in 2019 for his outstanding service to his constituency and the nation.
- The Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year Award in 2020 for his exemplary work in the road and transport sector.
Nitin Gadkari is a leader who has a clear vision, a strong will and a relentless drive to achieve his goals. He is a man of action who delivers on his promises. He is a reformer who brings positive changes in the system. He is a visionary who dreams big and makes them a reality. He is a role model for millions of Indians who aspire to make India a developed and prosperous nation. He is Nitin Gadkari, a great leader and a great Indian.
