Digvijaysinh Pratapsinhji Jhala (20 August 1932 – 4 April 2021) was an Indian politician from

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. He served as India's first environment minister in the central government.

Early life

Jhala was born at Ranjit Vilas Palace at

Wankaner Wankaner is a city and a municipality in Morbi district in the State of Gujarat. Until 2013, Wankaner was part of the Rajkot district. Etymology The city was named after its location on the Machhu River, "Wankaner" translating to "riverbend" ...

on 20 August 1932, the eldest son of Pratapsinhji Jhala of the princely state of Wankaner, by his wife, Sisodiji Maharani Sri Rama Kanwar Sahiba. He was educated at

Rajkumar College, Rajkot The Rajkumar College (or RKC) in Rajkot, Gujarat is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 28.656-acre (1,15,965 m²) campus in Rajkot. The foundation stone of Rajkumar College was laid in 1868. The institution was designed by ...

and graduated from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, and obtained a doctorate from Delhi University's St Stephen's College.

Family

In 1955, Jhala married Maharajkumari Baiji Lal Pratap Kumari Sahiba, eldest daughter of Sir Tej Singhji, Maharaja of

Alwar State Alwar (Rajasthani Pronunciation: �lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (NCR) and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km ...

. Jhala married again in 1982, to Vibha Singh, daughter of a senior bureaucrat and diplomat Shri Bhagwan Singh. She was media personality and also served as a consul general of Nauru. Jhala and Vibha's only son, Kesarisihji, was born in 1983. Kesarisihji is nominated as Rajysabha Member of Parliament from

Bharatiya Janta Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Since 2014, ...

and elections are awaiting.

Wankaner State

Jhala was heir apparent to the throne of the princely state of Wankaner at birth, holding the title Yuvraj Sahib of Wankaner officially from 1932, when the State merged with newly-independent India. He succeeded his father in 2007 as the titular King of Wankaner and head of its royal house.

Political career

Jhala entered politics after the independence of India and joined the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

. He was a Member of Legislative Assembly for

in the

Gujarat Legislative Assembly The Gujarat Legislative Assembly or Gujarat Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the state capital Gandhinagar. Presently, 182 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected from single-member ...

for the years 1962-67 and 1967-71. He was then elected Member of Parliament for

Surendranagar Surendranagar is Municipal Corporation in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Climate Surendranagar Dudhrej, in common with most of Gujarat, has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen ''BSh'') with three seasons. The hot season l ...

for two terms, from 1980 to 1989. He also served as the Union Deputy Minister for Ecology and the Environment from 1982 to 1984.

Personal life

Being very active in public life, Jhala was also Convener of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association, Gujarat, Chairman of Gujarat Hotels Association and President of the Wankaner Co-op Agricultural Bank Ltd for 1962-1964. He was Director of Shree Amarsinhji Mills Ltd since 1960, a cotton textile mill founded in 1951 by his grandfather Sir Amarsinhji Banesinhji, which was later taken over by Kores India in 1980. He served as a director of

India Tourism Development Corporation The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by the Government of India, under the administration of the Ministry of Tourism. Established in 1966, it owns over 17 properties under the A ...

for the years 1968-1982. He was a founder member of the Indigenous Horse Society of India founded in 1999. He was also a member of the Gujarat State Water Pollution Control Board since 1976, National Committee for Environmental Planning since 1981 and president of the

Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha, also known as All India Kshatriya Mahasabha, was founded in the year 1897. The organization was formed to promote, protect, and fight for rights and interests of the Rajput community of the Indian society. Ea ...

since 1989. Jhala died on 4 April 2021 at the age of 88, after a brief illness.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jhala, Digvijaysinhji 1932 births 2021 deaths Lok Sabha members from Gujarat Gujarat MLAs 1962–1967 Gujarat MLAs 1967–1971 Indian National Congress politicians from Gujarat 20th-century Indian royalty Gujarati people People from Rajkot district India MPs 1980–1984 India MPs 1984–1989 Delhi University alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Indian environmentalists Indian businesspeople in textiles