Here’s more about him and the new MoS

-Reshma Ravishanker

Dharmendra Pradhan will succeed Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank as the union education minister after the latter tendered his resignation citing health reasons just hours before the cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday. Dharmendra will also hold the portfolio of the union minister for skill development and entrepreneurship.

When the Narendra Modi-led BJP government came to power in the 2014 elections, Dharmendra was appointed the union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas with an independent charge. Later in 2017, following a cabinet reshuffle, he was promoted to be the union minister for the same department.

52-year-old Dharmendra, the son of former union minister of state for surface transport Debendra Pradhan, Dharmendra became a member of the parliament in 2004 after he contested from the Deogarh constituency.

Dharmendra has a Master of Arts Degree (year 1990) from Vani Vihal, Utkal University, Odisha before which he pursued a bachelor of arts from Talcher College, Utkal University, Odisha (1988). He also completed his higher secondary exam (1985) from Talcher College, CHSE, Odisha.

Meanwhile, Annapurna Devi, Subhas Sarkar and Rajkumar Ranjan have been appointed as the new minister of state for education following the cabinet rejig on Thursday.

Annapurna Devi, a MP from Kodrama in Jharkand has been a four-time MLA and has served as a cabinet minister holding various portfolios from women and child welfare to irrigation. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, an MP from Manipur has worked as a geography professor for over four decades and has served as the director for the college development council for Manipur University. Subhas Sarkar, an MP from West Bengal is a gynecologist by profession and is also serving his first term as a member of the parliament.