Ghulam Nabi Azad
Encyclopedia
Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 and the current Minister of Health and Family Welfare
Minister of Health and Family Welfare (India)
The Minister of Health and Family Welfare is the head of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and one of the cabinet ministers of the Government of India....

 of the Government of India.

He was the Parliamentary Affairs Minister of India in the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...

 until October 27, 2005, when he was appointed as the Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...

 of Jammu and Kashmir. After delivering victories in several key states, including Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the 'crisis manager' of the Congress surprised many when he led the party successfully in the 2002 Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

Azad's forte is his organisational skills, having been the AICC general secretary for a record nine times and member of the powerful Congress Working Committee for 18 years, perhaps the longest period among the current leaders.

As a Union minister, he steered successive Congress governments to victory in 21 no-confidence motions including the minority government of P. V. Narasimha Rao
P. V. Narasimha Rao
Pamulaparti Venkata "Narasimha Rao" was the ninth Prime Minister of India . He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the Licence Raj. He is often referred to as...

 in the early 1990s.

Azad's first political assignment was the Block Congress Committee secretary in Bahlesa in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, his native place.

In 1980, he was appointed as the President of the All India Youth Congress, the first from the minority community.

After being elected to the Seventh Lok Sabha from Maharashtra's Washim (Lok Sabha constituency)
Washim (Lok Sabha constituency)
Washim Lok Sabha constituency was a Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra state in western India from 1977 for 6th Lok Sabha till 2004 elections to 14t Lok Sabha. It was created in 1977 Lok Sabha elections, with abolishment of three term Khamgaon in neighbouring Buldhana district...

 in 1980, Azad entered into the Central government as Deputy Minister in charge of Law, Justice and Company Affairs Ministry in 1982.

Subsequently, he was elected to the Eighth Lok Sabha in 1984 and became a Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

 member in 1990. During Rao's government, Azad took charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Civil Aviation ministries.

In June 2008, Azad's government announced plans to transfer land to the board of a Hindu shrine. Many Muslims were angered by this decision and protested, leading the government to cancel the transfer; however, this reversal provoked Hindu protests. Seven people were reported killed in violence that accompanied these protests. The People's Democratic Party
Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party
The Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party is a state political party in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It was founded in 1999 by the former Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and captured power in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2002 assembly elections. Since 2004 it has one...

, a coalition partner of the Indian National Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, withdrew its support for Azad's government, and rather than attempt to sustain his government by requesting a vote of confidence, Azad resigned on July 7, 2008, and left office on July 11, 2008.

In the second United Progressive Alliance Government, led by Dr. Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...

, Mr. Azad, was sworn in as the Health Minister of India. He has said, that he shall be expanding the National Rural Health Mission, that has mobilized half a million health workers, all across India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, and that his ministry would also be launching a similar National Urban Health Mission, to serve the slum dwelling urban poor. He has also been praised for getting Population control, back in the limelight. He has advocated a late marriage age of between 25 and 30, especially for girls, and has asked people, to watch television, instead of producing children.

At a conference on HIV/AIDS on 4 July 2011 Azad stated that homosexuality was unnatural. Homosexual activity in India
Homosexuality in India
Homosexuality is generally considered a taboo subject by both Indian civil society and the government. Public discussion of homosexuality in India has been inhibited by the fact that sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly. In recent years, however, attitudes towards homosexuality have...

 was decriminalized two years prior by the Delhi High Court
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi was established on 31 October 1966. The High Court of Delhi was established with four judges. They were Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. K. Kapur.-History:...

. There are approximately 30 million gay, bisexual and transgender Indians.
He married Shameem Dev Azad, a well known Kashmiri singer, in 1980, and they have a son and a daughter.

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