Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Union Environment Minister Anil Dave passes away, PM Modi expresses shock

  • Union Environment Minister Anil Dave passed away on Thursday morning. He was 60.
  • The minister on Thursday morning complained of uneasiness.
  • He was rushed to AIIMS where he passed away
Union Environment Minister Anil Dave passes away
Author
First Published May 17, 2017, 2:04 PM IST

Union Environment Minister Anil Dave passed away on Thursday morning. He was 60.

The minister on Thursday morning complained of uneasiness at his home and was rushed to AIIMS where he passed away, according to official sources.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2009. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Dave. "Absolutely shocked by the sudden demise of my friend & a
very respected colleague, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave ji. My condolences," he said in a tweet.

The Prime Minister said Dave will be remembered as a devoted public servant who was tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment.

"I was with Anil Madhav Dave ji till late last evening, discussing key policy issues. This demise is a personal loss," he said in another tweet.

A source from Delhi, who works close with the MoEF told Asianet Newsable that the minister was believed to have not been keeping well for a while. During the budget sessions also he had kept away as he was recovering from pneumonia.

An expert in river conservation and a member of the parliamentary forum on global warming, environment was a subject close to the heart of Anil Madhav
Dave who was appointed environment minister only last year.

Dave was involved in social work right from his early days and founded NGO "Narmada Samagra" for the conservation of the river. A two-time Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, Dave was known in the BJP as a man gifted with immaculate organisational skills.

He had a long time association with the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh and shot into prominence in 2003 when he crafted the strategy leading to the defeat of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh.

Following this, Uma Bharti who became the Chief Minister made him Advisor to the CM. As an NCC Air Wing Cadet, he took his early flying lessons and found a lifetime passion. He was a holder of a private pilot licence and had once flown a Cessna aircraft around the banks of Narmada for 18 hours.

As Rajya Sabha MP, he has served as Member of Parliamentary Forum on Global Warming and Climate Change. A post-graduate in Commerce from Gujarati College in Indore, Dave had keen interest in literature and had penned a number of books.

Dave was born to Pushpa and Madhav Dave at Barnagar, district Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on July 6, 1956.

He inherited the legacy of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh from his grandfather Dadasaheb Dave and volunteered to be a Pracharak after completing higher studies. He rose in the Sangh echelons over the years and was deputed to the BJP, right before the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections in 2003.

The leader from Madhya Pradesh was key party strategist and served as chief of its election management committee for the three times during the state assembly elections in 2003, 2008 and 2013 and Lok Sabha elections in 2004, 2009 and 2014. He was known for his booth-level management and planning.

Dave was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2009 and has been on various committees including Chairman, Select Committee on Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2013.

 

(With PTI inputs)

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios