Shanta Kumar

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Shanta Kumar (born 12 September 1934) is a former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh and a former minister in Government of India. He is a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to Lok Sabha from Kangra.He has written some books .

Shanta Kumar is a BJP veteran who was born and bred in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideology. He was hardly 17 when in 1953 he was arrested during Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s Kashmir Andolan. With a political career spanning more than five decades, he was one of the founder- members of Bharatiya Jana Sangh and member of its National Working Committee. In 1977 he became the first-ever non-Congress Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Presently, he is the National Vice-President of Bharatiya Janata Party. His first tenure as chief minister is remembered as paaniwala Mukhya Mantri, and for innovative Antyodaya Yojna, and fighting for Himachal’s rights which had been ignored at the time of reorganization of Punjab.

His second tenure as chief minister was marked by his pioneering campaign to introduce private sector participation to exploit the vast potential in power generation and tourism the State had. He introduced the innovative scheme of installing hand-pumps in every part of the State to tide over water shortage. He succeeded in getting Union Government agree to grant 12 per cent free power to the State for the hydro-electric projects established in the State. As Union Minister for Food and Rural Development, he pioneered the Antodya Ann Yojna, Hariali, Swajaldhara which continue to be as popular as ever even after the change of governments both in Hiamachal and at the Centre.

[edit] Swami Vivekanand Medical College and Hospital Palampur

Shanta Kumar has put the foundation stone for this project in November 1992, when he was the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. Unfortunately, centre dissolved Shanta Kumar govt in December 1992, giving reason of Ayodhya incident and after that none of other Himachal Pradesh government showed any interest in this hospital.

Shanta Kumar is still trying to make this project a success. Currently Vivekanand Medical Research Trust headed by Shanta Kumar is building this project. Swami Ramdev, the world famous yoga guru, inaugurated a treatment centre set up under the Vivekanand Medical Research Trust in November 2005. The first phase of the very ambitious Vivekanand Hospital, a dream project of Shanta Kumar has become functional after almost 13 years.