Ram Niwas Mirdha (24 August 1924 – 29 January 2010) was an Indian politician who served as the 2nd speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 1957 to 1967 and is the longest serving speaker of the Rajasthan Assembly for a period of ten years. He was a cabinet minister of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

for several departments during the 1970s and 1980s and became of member of the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

for Barmer, Rajasthan, from 1991 to 1996. He was a member of the executive board of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

from 1993 to 1997. He served as chairman of the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

until his death from

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring immediate medical intervention. There are different stages of organ dysfunction for certain different organs, both in acute and in chronic ...

. He also served as Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha from 1977 to 1980.

Early life and personal life

Ram Niwas Mirdha was born on 24 August 1924 in a Hindu

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

family in Jasol village, Barmer district, Rajasthan, where his father, Baldev Ram Mirdha, had been posted as a police officer. Mirdha married Indira Mirdha and the couple had two sons and one daughter. One of his sons is Harendra Mirdha, who has been a member of the

Rajasthan Legislative Assembly The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, also known as the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha, is the unicameral legislature of the state of Rajasthan. It is a vital part of the state government, responsible for making and implementing laws. The assembly meets ...

and was Minister for the Public Works Department in the

Government of Rajasthan The Government of Rajasthan is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Rajasthan and its districts of Rajasthan, 41 districts. It consists of an executive branch, led by the governor of Rajasthan, as well as judiciary and legis ...

between 1998–2004.

Education

Ram Niwas was educated in Jodhpur and did his post graduation from

Allahabad University The University of Allahabad is a Central University located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. It was established on 23 September 1887 by an act of Parliament and is recognised as an Institute of National Importance (INI). It is the 4th oldest mode ...

and his law from

Lucknow University University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is one of the oldest public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. LU's main campus is located at Badshah Bagh, University Road area of the city with a second ...

. He then went to study international affairs at Geneva in Switzerland

Official positions

Mirdha held various official positions in the state of Rajasthan and at national level: * Member,

(1953–1967), * Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Transport, Government of Rajasthan (1954–1957), * Speaker,

(1957–1967), * Member,

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

, 4-5-1967 to 2-4-1968 and 3-4-1968 to 2-4-1974 (2nd term) and 3-4-1974 to 2-4-1980 (third term) * Union Minister of State – Home Affairs, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (June 1970–October 1974), * Union Minister of State – Defence Production (October 1974 – December 1975), * Union Minister of State – Supply and Rehabilitation (Independent Charge) (December 1975 – March 1977), * Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha (1977–1980), * Chairman, Committee of Privileges, Rajya Sabha, 1977–80, * Member of Rajya Sabha 5-7-1980 to 29-12-1984 (4th term) * Minister of Water Resources Department (January 1983–August 1984), * Minister of External Affairs (August 1984–December 1984), * Minister of Communication January (1985-October 1986), * Minister of Textiles (Cabinet Rank), with additional charge of Health and Family Welfare (October 1986–December 1989), * Member tenth

from Barmer, Rajasthan (1991–1996), * Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to inquire into irregularities in Securities and Banking Transactions 1992

International contribution

Ram Niwas Mirdha represented in the following international events: * Represented India at United Nations, Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences, * Commonwealth Prime Minister's Conference, * Conference of Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers, Inter Parliamentary Unions, * Leader Indian Delegation to

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, General Assembly, September 1984, * Attendee of the second

Provisional World Parliament The Provisional World Parliament (PWP) is a transitional international legislative body or a transitional international parliament of the Provisional World Government, operating under the constitutional framework of the Constitution for the F ...

held in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

on March 17, 1985. * Member executive Board of

(1993–1997)

Cultural activities

He was chairman of

Lalit Kala Akademi The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA) is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in ...

, New Delhi, during 1976–1980 and 1990–1995, and was also involved with the National Institute of Sports and the Delhi Urban Arts Commission, He was deputy chairman of the Special Organizing Committee for the 9th

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

and president of the Youth Hostel Association of India. Mirdha acted as co-chairman of the Indo-US Sub-commission on Culture and Education and was a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO and founder-president of Indian Heritage Society. In addition, he was a trustee of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

Heading institutes at the time of death

* President, Indian Heritage Society, * Senior Vice-President, Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies. * Honorary President, World Federation on U N Associations, * President, Indian Federation of U N Association, * President,

Indian Society of International Law The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) is an institution for the teaching, research and promotion of International Law in India. It is located opposite the Supreme Court of India and next to the Indian Law Institute (ILI). The ISIL was ...

, * Chairman,

(National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama), * President Surajmal Memorial Education Society, New Delhi.

References

External links

Bio-Data of Member of X Lok Sabha

Mirdha Dak
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirdha, Ram Niwas India MPs 1991–1996 1924 births 2010 deaths Rajasthani people Deaths from multiple organ failure Indian National Congress politicians from Rajasthan Speakers of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly People from Nagaur district University of Allahabad alumni University of Lucknow alumni Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni Deputy chairmen of the Rajya Sabha India MPs 1984–1989 Lok Sabha members from Rajasthan Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan Members of Parliament from Barmer Ram Niwas Rajasthan MLAs 1957–1962 Rajasthan MLAs 1967–1972 Rajasthan MLAs 1972–1977