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G. K. Vasan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President,Tamil Maanila Congress (M)[1] | |
| Assumed office 3 November 2014 | |
| Union Minister of Shipping[2] | |
| In office May 2009 – May 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | T.R Baalu |
| Succeeded by | Nitin Gadkari |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) of theMinistry of Statistics & Programme Implementation | |
| In office Jan 2006 – May 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Succeeded by | D.V. Sadananda Gowda |
| Member, Consultative Committee for theMinistry of Urban Development andCommittee on Coal andSteel | |
| In office 2004–2006 | |
| Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) (List of Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu) | |
| Assumed office 3 April 2020 | |
| In office 2 April 2002 – 2 April 2014 | |
| President,TNCC | |
| In office 2003 - 2006 | |
| Preceded by | E. V. K. S. Elangovan |
| Succeeded by | M. Krishnasamy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Govindaswamy Karuppiah Vasan (1964-12-28)28 December 1964 (age 60) Sundara Perumalkoil,Tamil Nadu,India |
| Political party | Tamil Maanila Congress (M) (From 2001-2002; From 2014-Till date) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (From 2002 - 2014) |
| Spouse | Sunitha Vasan |
| Children | G.K.V Pranav |
| Parent | G. K. Moopanar Kasthuri Moopanar |
| Alma mater | The New College,Madras University |
| Profession | Farmer,Politician |
| Website | [1] |
G. K. Vasan (born Govindaswamy Karuppiah Vasan, 28 December 1964) is anIndian politician and son ofG. K. Moopanar, a veteranIndian National Congress leader. G. K. Vasan is currently the president ofTamil Maanila Congress (M), apolitical party in the state ofTamil Nadu,[3] India.He was a member ofRajya Sabha, the upper house ofIndian Parliament from 2002 until 2014.[4] During his tenure as a Member ofIndian Parliament, he had functioned in several positions in theUnion Government underUPA 1 & UPA II regime including as aMinister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation from Jan. 2006 – May 2009;[5]Union Minister of Shipping from May 2009 – May 2014[6] and as an In-chargeMinister for Labour from January 2014 - April 2014.
Govindaswamy Karuppiah Vasan, better known as G. K. Vasan was born on 28 December 1964 in Sundara Perumal Koil, Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu to an affluentagriculturallandlord family toG. K. Moopanar and Kasthuri Moopanar. G. K Moopanar was a secularstatesman committed to nation building. Ever since the country's first general election to Indian parliament, he had played a major key role in socio-political undertakings in theIndian National Congress. Hisforefathers werelandlords. In fact, during the pre-Independence period, all ofThanjavur comprising merely five provinces, and his family clan was one of the few who ruled over the richest arable land in the regionKabisthalam. It was also called as Moopanar.[7]G.K. Vasan did his schooling fromMadras Christian College Higher Secondary School inChennai and completed his graduation in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Corporate Secretaryship from The New College,Madras University,Chennai,Tamil Nadu.He is married to Shrimathi Sunitha Vasan, daughter of Dr. N. Lakshmi Narayanan, aProfessor ofMedicine and Shrimathi Sulochana.Shrimathi Sunitha Vasan hasuniversitygold medal grades in both her (M.A) academic programmes. She has completedMaster of Arts (M.A.) inPsychology, from SIET College;Madras University andMaster of Arts (M.A.) inSociology, fromPondicherry University. She is a qualified counselor, both in academics and personal and is actively involved in developingacademic curriculum for special children.They have a son, Shri G.K. Pranav.
In the initial phase of political career, G. K. Vasan though was not officially a chair in the party, yet actively involved in the political events in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. He was supportive of G. K. Moopanar in his political administrations and did participate in election campaigns inMayiladuthurai Parliament Constituency andPapanasam State Assembly Constituency. After the demise of G. K. Moopanar in 2001, G. K. Vasan was unanimously elected as the President of Tamil Maanila Congress by the MPs, MLAs and senior functionaries of the party.
G. K. Vasan was then the youngest president of a State Political Party in India. Under his leadership, the party fielded 32 candidates in the12th Tamil Nadu State Assembly election and won 23 constituencies by securing over 18.85 Lakhs votes.
In the year 2002, when the party (TMC) was most influential and strong both in organizational strength and political representation at state and centre; G. K. Vasan came forward to fulfill the wishes ofG. K. Moopanar and millions of his party followers. On 14 August 2001, the party (TMC) under the leadership of G. K. Vasan and its MPs, MLAs and millions of cadres got mergedunconditionally with theIndian National Congress.
After becoming a member inIndian National Congress, G. K. Vasan played major roles at both National and State Level politics. He became a Secretary (in 2002) of All India Congress Committee and rose to the level of becoming the youngest President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in 2004; making him only next to Perunthalaivar K. Kamarajar who held the honour of being the youngest President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
G. K. Vasan extensively toured the state to rejuvenate the party cadres and interacted with general public to strengthen the organisation. In his maiden election (13th Tamil Nadu State Assembly Election) as a President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee; in an alliance withDMK, fielded 10 candidates and won all of them.
An act of recognition of his performance in state politics; Indian National Congress Committee elevated G. K. Vasan to become a Member of Rajya Sabha, an upper house of Indian Parliament in the year 2002.
G. K. Vasan was also privileged to be the youngest President ofTamil Nadu Congress Committee; making him until today, the only person next toPerunthalaivar K. Kamarajar who held the honour of being the youngest President ofTamil Nadu Congress Committee.
G. K. Vasan was elected from the state ofTamil Nadu toIndian Parliament in the year 2002. As a Member of Parliament, he was part of several administrative consultative committees on policies and programme implementations. As a rural resident himself, he constantly strives to empower thelocal bodies and in the process, he was keenly associated as a member of:
Consultative committee for theMinistry of Agriculture (years 2002–2004): whereby, dynamically backed the measures to build a vibrant rural economy and forNational Food Security.
Departmentally-Related Standing Committee on Urban and Rural Development (year 2003–2004).
Committee on Urban and Rural Development (year 2003–2004).
Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation (year 2003–2004).
Member, Committee on Coal and Steel (years 2004–2006).
Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Urban Development (years 2004–2006).
Actively involved in the parliamentary bill 'The Provisions of the Municipalities (Ext.to the Scheduled Areas)'; a setup of urban local bodies in the scheduled areas.
G. K. Vasan was sworn in as Union Minister of Shipping under the leadership ofDr. Manmohan Singh, the 13th Prime Minister of India. The Shipping Ministry under his able guidance saw a stupendous growth both in infrastructure and economic performance. The industry registered several landmark achievements during his tenure and claimed India would be the next hub for ship building industry.[8]
G. K. Vasan was one of the very few cabinet ministers in UPA II, who continued to function in the same portfolio for the entire 5 years terms.
The following are the major achievements during his tenure.
Achievements:
The first assignment initiated was to 'Reform and Modernize' the operations of shipping industry by introducing 'e- auction tendering system',[9] implementing revised 'auction rate for lease of lands which belong to Indian Ports and introduced 'revival strategy for 133 nos of non-functional ports and revised the 'auction rate for the land lease'.[10]
The shipping ministry under G. K. Vasan leadership; awarded about 88 new projects with an investment of INR 42,953Crore[11][12] to enhance the marine infrastructure in his country and successfully concluded the ministerial term with a virtue of 'Impressive performance with high integrity, simplicity and transparency'.[13][14]The Ministry of Shipping was the only office then, to have a sector specific 'Land Policy Guidelines' approved by the Cabinet; a step towards 'Transparency and Accountability'.[15]The Shipping Ministry (Cochin Shipyard (CSL) inKochi,Kerala) 'designed and build an Indigenous Aircraft Carrier,INS Vikrant for the Indian Navy'; making India, only the 5th country,[16] next to US, the UK, Russia and France to hold an independent capability.[17][18]
TheShipping Corporation of India (SCI) aPSU under the Ministry of Shipping, saw a significant growth making thenFinance Minister,Mr. Pranab Mukherjee expressing hope (in 2010) that theSCI, which is aNavratna company, would certainly attainMaharatna status much sooner.[19]
Averted the biggest thread in maritime world 'The nationwide hunger strike by port workers in 2010' by bringing an amicable acceptance between union federations and port administration. Thus it ensured an uninterrupted cargo trade of 580 million tons and brought happiness to 60,000 port workers.[20]
It was purely on his personnel interest; he intervened to hold 12 rounds of meetings with the labour unions and brought a solution to their long pending desires.To his credit; thereof never have been labour strikes in the shipping industry during his entire cabinet tenure.
Launched the vision document 'Maritime Agenda 2020' a road map to build a 3200 milliontonnes per year ofport capacity by infusing an estimated investment of Rs. 3lakhcrore by 2020 to position India as a global hub formarine industry.[21]Honored the legacy of freedom fighters (Perunthalaivar K. Kamarajar andV.O Chidambaranar Pillai) by re-titling the ‘Ennore Port’ as 'Kamarajar Port'[22] and ‘Tuticorin Port’ as ‘V.O. Chidambaranar Port’.[23]It is only next toPandit. Jawaharlal Nehru, a leader name is titled forports in India.Achieved2 greatest milestones (in 2011) in the annals of Indian Maritime History:
Laid the foundation stone (in 2013) for India's largest container handling terminal atJawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai;[27] thus positioningJNPT atrank 26th among the top 100 container ports in the world.[28]
TheV.O Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin) saw an amazing growth: Infrastructure projects worth Rs. 27,841crore were infused to handle a massive volume of trade (413milliontons) and positioned the port as 10thlargest port in India.
TheKamarajar Port (Chennai) realized a tremendous growth both in economic performance and Infrastructure development: It achieved a 2 fold growth rate of 30 MTPA in 2014 to become the '12th largest port in India'.
As part of revamp programme; augmented the infrastructure facilities at 'Port Blair' and positioned it as '13th MajorPort in India'.Launched the passenger ferry service between Tuticorin & Colombo to realize the dream of freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai.An initiative after 100 years of such maiden service launched by V.O Chidambaram Pillai in 1907.Inaugurated 'First International Seafarers Day' (in 2011) marking the importance of safety, welfare & security of seafarers and honored the Indianseafarers for their immense contribution to world economic trade.
Raised thepiracy issue at international forums (UN security Council andIMO) and proposed an 'Unified UN Security Force' to combat piracy, secure men and safely deliver more than 90% of world's goods trade.
The ministry was more considerate to open a thought for grantingIT exemption, tax concessions andpension benefits toIndianseafarers; a candid initiative where whole of shipping fraternity remembers him, even today.Women Empowerment: G. K. Vasan always believed women are an integral part of our growth and hence voiced for larger recruitment ofWomen as Seafarers in Marine Industry.
MoS (Independent Charge) Statistics & Programme Implementation (January 2006 – May 2009)
G. K. Vasan was first inducted in the Union Cabinet under the leadership ofDr. Manmohan Sign, the 13th Prime Minister of India. He was sworn in as MoS (Independent Charge) for Statistics & Programme Implementation. The ministry under the able guidance of G. K. Vasan realized several accomplishments that added value to enhance the performance of other Union Ministries.
The following are the major few achievements during his tenure:
Achievements:
Enacted the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 which replaced the Collection of Statistics Act, 1953 to significantly empower the data collection mechanism at all levels of government.[29]
First ever comprehensive cadre review (Human Resource Development) in the statistical department was successfully completed by upgrading 127 Directors (NFSG) level posts to SAG (Joint Secretary) level and newly introducing subordinate Group B and Group C level officer positions in theIndian Statistical Service.
G. K. Vasan had urged all the state governments to induct a 'Statistical Commission' and a separate 'Department of Statistics' to strengthen the statistical system in India.[30]
Released the 'First Millennium Development Goals India Country Report: A set of 8 goals primarily linked to participatory governance for overall Rural Development.
A Twenty Point Programme as part ofSocial Justice was restructured with inclusion of new schemes like 'National Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Rural Business Hubs, Local Self Government both inurban local bodies andpanchayat raj,Prevention of child labor,HIV/AIDS,Mid day Meal, etc.
Established 'National Academy of Statistical Administration' to bring out the best statistical minds from India on par with international standard.[31]
Birth Anniversary (29 June) ofProf. P C Mahalanobis was declared as the'National Statistical Day' to honour his contributions in the field of Statistics and Economic Planning.[32]With concerted efforts, enhanced theMember of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund from INR 2 crore to INR 5 crore and issued a comprehensive guidelines on scheme concept, implementation and monitoring.[33]
Software was set up to monitor and enable online access toMPLADS works, which ensured improved transparency and e-governance.[citation needed]
Newly initiated the 'Physical Monitoring System' of MPLADS works throughNABARD consultancy services; this enabled an improved performance in the work execution whereby an efficiency enhancement was achieved from 80.14% in March 2004 to 90.01% in the succeeding year.
Due to efficient monitoring, project control and implementation; the ministry ensured an efficient rate of project completion in India: The administration successfully achieved the performance index by reducing the project cost over run from 62% in March 1991 to an impressive rate of 15.5% in September 2006.[citation needed]
The operationalization of the 'National Statistical Commission' was an important initiative to bring about quality and transparency in official statistics. It serves as a key recommendation provider on latest statistical standards and policy initiatives in India.
Political Office
Cultural / Recreation / Club
G. K. Vasan is passionate aboutCarnatic Music and enjoys playingCricket andTable Tennis. He does hold positions as:
G. K. Vasan is an avid admirer ofCarnatic music, happened to develop out of natural bonding betweenCauvery andCarnatic music. He is currently the chairman of board of Trustees for 'Thiruvaiyaru Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha' which sponsors an 'AnnualAradhana Festival of Thyagaraja', a tribute to saint composerSri Thyagaraja Swamy.
He shows greatest interest in the activities of Sabha like his fatherG. K. Moopanar whose period as a president of 'Thiruvaiyaru Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha' achieved the greatest milestone in making the programme, as an all India and International festival,[34] including thenPresident of India presiding over the function.
Music is a holy concert to God and a great instrument of National integration. PlayingNagaswaram andThavil are 'Mangala Isai' means auspicious Music for all occasions.[35]
| Position | Party | Constituency | From | To | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1st Term) | INC | Tamil Nadu | 3 April 2002 | 2 April 2008 | 5 years, 365 days | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (2nd Term) | 3 April 2008 | 2 April 2014 | 5 years, 364 days | |||
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (3rd Term) | TMC(M) | 3 April 2020 | 2 April 2026 | 5 years, 364 days | ||
