Ramesh Pokhriyal "Nishank" (born 15 July 1959), is an Indian politician who was appointed on 31 May 2019 to serve as Minister of Human Resource Development and as of July 2020, following the ministry's name change, his title was changed to Minister of Education. He represents the

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the rig ...

Parliamentary constituency of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

in the 17th

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past- ...

. He was the 5th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2009 to 2011. He was member of the

16th Lok Sabha Members of the 16th Lok Sabha were elected during the 2014 Indian general election. The elections were conducted in 9 phases from 7 April 2014 to 12 May 2014 by the Election Commission of India. The results of the election were declared on 16 M ...

and chairperson, Committee on Government Assurances.

Personal life

Pokhriyal was born in Pinani village,

Pauri Garhwal Pauri Garhwal is a District (India), district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its headquarters is in the town of Pauri. It is sometimes referred to simply as Garhwal district, though it should not be confused with the larger Garhwal regio ...

to Paramanand Pokhriyal and Vishambhari Devi. He received an M.A. degree from

Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University(HNBGU) (formerly known as Garhwal University) is a Central University, established in 1973, located in Srinagar, Uttarakhand in Northern India. The university is named after Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, f ...

. Pokhriyal married Kusum Kanta Pokhriyal on 7 May 1985, with whom he has three daughters. One of their daughters, Aarushi Nishank is a classical dancer. His wife died on 11 November 2012 in Dehradun at the age of 50.

Political career

Pokhriyal started his career as a teacher in

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian Right-wing politics, right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hind ...

-affiliated Saraswati Shishu Mandir. He was first elected to public office in the erstwhile undivided

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

as a member of the

Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Hindi: ''Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha'') is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of Uttar Pradesh. There are 403 seats in the house filled by direct election using a single-member first-past-the- ...

from

Karnaprayag Karnaprayag is a town and municipal board in the Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Karnaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar River. ...

constituency in 1991, defeating a five-time Congress MLA. He was re-elected in 1993 and 1996 from the same constituency. In 1997 he was appointed to the position of Uttaranchal development minister. He was also Uttarakhand's chief minister (from 2009 to 2011) and served as a member of the

's 17th session and the chairman of the Assurance Committee. He is a representative of

constituency in the Lok Sabha. He was the member of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand for five consecutive terms from 1991 to 2012. He was first elected for the

ward in 1991 and served for three consecutive terms. In 2014, he resigned from the Doiwala, and was elected for

in the Lok Sabha. On 30 May 2019, he was sworn in as Minister of Human Resource Development in the 2nd Modi Government. Following the ministry's name change to the

Ministry of Education (India) The Ministry of Education ( MoE; formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development from 1985 to 2020) is a ministry of the Government of India, responsible for the implementation of the National Policy on Education. The Ministry is further ...

in July 2020, he served under the title of Minister of Education, until being sacked amid a cabinet reshuffle in July 2021.

Literary career

Pokhriyal has written novels, stories and poems. He has authored 44 books in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been d ...

, some of which have been translated to English as well as other Indian languages. Most of his books were published by two private publishers – Vani Prakashan and Diamond Books, and many were published between 2009 and 2011, when he was chief minister of Uttarakhand. One of his works was adapted into the Garhwali film ''Major Nirala'', which was produced by his daughter Aarushi Nishank and released in 2018. He is honoured by Hindi Writers Guild, Canada in 2021 and was conferred with the "Sahitya Gaurav Samman".

Books Published

1) Samarpan; 2) Navankur; 3) Mujhey Vidhata Banna Hai; 4) Desh Hum Jalney Na Dengey; 5) Tum Bhi Mere Saath Chalo; 6) Bas Ek Hi Icha; 7) Bheed Sakshi Hai; 8) Kya Nahi Ho Sakta; 9) Jeevan Path Mein; 10) Matribhoomi Key Liye; 11) Roshni Ki Ek Kiran; 12) Meri Vyatha Meri Katha; 13) Prateeksha; 14) Koi Mushkil Nahin; 15) Kharey Huye Prashan; 16) Ae Vatan Tere Liye; 17) Vipda Jeevit Hai; 18) Pahar Se Uncha; 19) Ek Aur Kahani; 20) Veera; 21) Mere Sankalp; 22) Major Nirala; 23) Nishant; 24) Himalaya Ka Mahakhumbh Nanda Rajajat; 25) Chhut Gaya Parav; 26) Meel Ka Pathar; 27) Tuttey Dayrey; 28) Sangharsh Jari; 29) Saparsh Ganga; 30) Pallavi; 31) Apna Paraya; 32) Safalta Key Achuk Mantra; 33) Mehnat Par Bharosa Karo, Bhagya Par Nahin; 34) Sansar Kayaron Key Liye Nahin; 35) Karmyogi Vivekanand; 36) Shikago Mein Vivekanand; 37) Mahayogi Vivekanand; 38) Antanheen; 39) Ekkis Chuninda Kahaniya; 40) Pratigya; 41) Kedarnath Prlay Ki Sachchi Kahaniyan-1; 42) Mauritius Ki Swarnim Smritiyan; 43) Kritaghan; 44) Bal Kahaniya – Aao Seekhain Kahaniyo Se; 45) Wah Zindagi; 46) Kathayen Paharon Ki; 47) Aao Sikhen Kahaniyon Se; 48) Andhera Ja Raha Hai; 49) Srijan Ke Beej; 50) Bhool Pata Nahin; 51) Bhagonwali; 52) Bhartiya Sanskriti, Sabhyata Evam Parampara; 53) Nepal Mein Ek Din; 54) Khushiyon Ka Desh Bhutan; 55) Sapne Jo Sone Na De; 56) Bhartiya Sanskriti Ka Samvahak Indonesia; 57) Manavata Ke Praneta: Maharshi Arvind; 58) Poorvi Africa Ka Praveshdwar Uganda

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pokhriyal, Ramesh People from Pauri Garhwal district Chief ministers from Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand Members of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly 1959 births Living people Uttar Pradesh MLAs 1991–1993 Uttar Pradesh MLAs 1993–1996 Uttar Pradesh MLAs 1997–2002 Uttarakhand MLAs 2007–2012 India MPs 2014–2019 Lok Sabha members from Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Uttarakhand Uttarakhand politicians People from Haridwar district Narendra Modi ministry Education Ministers of India India MPs 2019–present Finance Ministers of Uttarakhand