Dharmendra Pradhan is a prominent face of BJP in Odisha and was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2012. He is the son of Debendra Pradhan, a former cabinet minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Born on June 26, 1969, he comes from Talcher in Odisha and joined Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during his college days. He married Mridula Pradhan in 1997 and has two children.
His first major political achievement dates back to 1983 when he was elected as the secretary of ABVP in 1983. He was elected as a member of the Odisha Assembly in 2000 from the Pallalhara constituency. He won the Lok Sabha elections and represented the Deogarh constituency from 2004-2009.
Pradhan joined as the Minister of State in 2014 and was elevated to the Cabinet rank in 2017. He was given the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 2019. He has also served as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel in the second term of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
He was appointed as the general secretary of the party in 2011 and was elected as a member of Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in 2018. Pradhan, a close aide of senior BJP leader Amit Shah, has also organised various party activities in Odisha, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, and Jharkhand.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan speaks on the Centre's caste census announcement. He highlights the government's commitment to empowering backward classes and criticises the Congress party for their historical stance on caste-based reservations. Pradhan states, 'Yeh darshati hai Bharat Ki vanchit vargon ko apni adhikar Dene ke liye apne hug Dene ke liye pradhanmantri Narendra Modi Ji ke netrutv vaale NDA sarkaar committed hai.' The minister also discusses the historical context of caste surveys and reservations in India.
Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has slammed Sonia Gandhi over her remarks on New Education Policy. Dharmendra Pradhan said that public universities lacked funds under the rule of Congress.
A political face-off has erupted between the Centre and DMK over the three-language policy in the National Education Policy.
War of words erupted between DMK and BJP for the second day in a row inside the Parliament over the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP). The DMK MPs protested in the Parliament complex and demanded an apology from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over his remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin and his party on Monday.
DMK MPs are protesting outside Parliament wearing black shirts against the National Education Policy. They accuse the BJP-led central government of imposing Hindi through the three-language policy.
DMK MP Kanimozhi has filed a privilege motion against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging he referred to Tamil Nadu and its people as uncivilised and demanding an apology.
An Air India flight from Chicago was diverted on March 5 due to blocked toilets. In Maharashtra, the government decided against increasing the Ladki Bahini Scheme payout.
Actor Ranya Rao’s arrest with 15 kg of gold at Bengaluru airport has sparked controversy, with allegations of political affiliations surfacing.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin accused the Union government of imposing Hindi through the National Education Policy and curbing the state's growth.
The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin locked horns over the National Education Policy 2020.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the 'Odisha Parba 2024' celebrations in New Delhi on Sunday evening. Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan were also present during the event.
At the India Today Education Conclave 2024, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted the NEP's transformative impact on education and addressed recent NEET issues, announcing reforms for a more transparent and efficient examination system.
