Vasantrao Phulsingh Naik (1 July 1913 – 18 August 1979) was an Indian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the

Chief Minister of Maharashtra The chief minister of Maharashtra (IAST: Mahārāṣṭrāce Mukhyamaṃtrī) is the head of the executive branch of the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Following elections to the Legislative Assembly, the governor invites ...

from 1963 until 1975.

Career

He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

during 1952-1957, of the then bilingual

Bombay State Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Province, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Province (in British India roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Mah ...

during 1957-1960 and of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

during 1960 to 1977. In 1952, he was appointed Deputy Minister for Revenue in the Government of Madhya Pradesh. He was made Minister for Cooperation in 1957 and, later, Minister for Agriculture in the Government of Bombay State. From 1960 to 1963, he was Minister for Revenue in the Government of Maharashtra.His Colleagues Balwantrao Naik, Harilal Naik Helped Him In His Career. After the death of Marotrao Kannamwar, Naik was elected Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a post which he held for more than eleven years during 1963-1975. He is considered the father of the

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, or the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period during which technology transfer initiatives resulted in a significant increase in crop yields. These changes in agriculture initially emerged in Developed country , devel ...

in Maharashtra. The industrialization of Maharashtra is largely the legacy of his progressive industrial policies. He was also elected to the 6th Lok Sabha from

Washim Washim (Vatsagulma) is a city and a municipal council, Municipal Council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Washim is the district headquarters of Washim district. History Washim was known earlier known as Vatsagulma and ...

in 1977.

Death

Vasantrao Phulsing Naik died in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

on 18 August 1979.

Legacy

The Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College in Yavatmal city of

state and Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agriculture University Parbhani, Maharashtra state was named in his honour. His nephew Sudhakarrao Naik also became Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Many journalists and experts of political studies attribute the rise of right wing party Shiv Sena in the 1970s to his policy of building up the Shiv Sena as a counterweight to the communist-led labour unions in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. His birth anniversary is celebrated as Krushi Din (Agricultural day) by Maharashtra Government. The 2015 Marathi film Mahanayak Vasant Tu, starring Chinmay Mandlekar, is his

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

. A junction/ chowk/ bus stop in

Tardeo Tardeo or Tardeo Road () is an elite residential and commercial locality of South Mumbai, from Nana Chowk to Haji Ali Dargah, Haji Ali Junction. Tardeo is one of Asia's most expensive residential and commercial localities and houses the residence ...

is named after Vasantrao Naik.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naik, Vasantrao 1913 births 1979 deaths Chief ministers of Maharashtra India MPs 1977–1979 Marathi politicians Maharashtra MLAs 1960–1962 Maharashtra MLAs 1962–1967 Maharashtra MLAs 1967–1972 Maharashtra MLAs 1972–1978 People from Yavatmal district Madhya Pradesh MLAs 1952–1957 Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra People from Washim district Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Bombay State MLAs 1957–1960