Dinesh Trivedi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dinesh Trivedi
Trivedi at a press conference in New Delhi on the modernization of Indian Railways, September 2011
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 3 April 2020 – 12 February 2021
Preceded by	Ahmed Hassan Imran
Succeeded by	Jawhar Sircar
Constituency	West Bengal
In office 2002–2008
Constituency	West Bengal
In office 1990–1996
Constituency	Gujarat
Minister of Railways, Government of India
In office 13 July 2011 – 18 March 2012
President	Pratibha Patil
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Mamata Banerjee
Succeeded by	Mukul Roy
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfares, Government of India
In office 22 May 2009 – 13 July 2011
President	Pratibha Patil
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Minister	Ghulam Nabi Azad
Preceded by	Panabaka Lakshmi (independent charge)
Succeeded by	Sudip Bandyopadhyay
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 16 May 2009 – 23 May 2019
Preceded by	Tarit Baran Topdar
Succeeded by	Arjun Singh
Constituency	Barrackpore
Personal details
Born	(1950-06-04) 4 June 1950 (age 75) New Delhi, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Trinamool Congress (1998–2021) Janata Dal (1990–1998) Indian National Congress (1980–1990)
Spouse	Minal Trivedi
Alma mater	St. Xavier's College, Kolkata (BCom) University of Texas, Austin (MBA)
Profession	Pilot

Dinesh Trivedi (born 4 June 1950) is an Indian politician. He has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in both the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of India's Parliament) and the Lok Sabha (the Lower House). He represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha and the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency in the Lok Sabha.

Mr. Trivedi also held important government positions. He was the Union Minister for Railways and the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in the government led by Manmohan Singh. In 2016–17, he received the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for his work.

On 12 February 2021, Mr. Trivedi resigned from the Trinamool Congress party and also left his seat in the Rajya Sabha. He then joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 6 March 2021.

Early Life and Education

Dinesh Trivedi was born on 4 June 1950, in New Delhi, India. His parents, Hiralal and Urmilaben Trivedi, were from Gujarat. They moved to India from Karachi during the Partition of India.

He attended boarding schools in Himachal Pradesh. Later, he earned a degree in commerce from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. He then went on to get his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of Texas at Austin in the United States. Mr. Trivedi also trained to be a pilot, as he had always dreamed of flying. He enjoys classical music and is a trained sitar player.

Early Career

After finishing his MBA in 1974, Dinesh Trivedi worked in Chicago for two years. He then returned to India and worked for a logistics company. In 1984, he started his own air freight company in Kolkata. He also set up a center to help protect consumers.

Mr. Trivedi became well-known for taking action against corruption. He asked the Supreme Court to make a report about corruption in politics public. This action helped push forward the movement for the Right to Information in India.

Political Journey

Dinesh Trivedi began his political career by joining the Congress party in the 1980s. In 1990, he moved to the Janata Dal party. Later, in 1998, he joined Mamata Banerjee when she started the Trinamool Congress party. He became the first general secretary of this new party.

Trivedi sworn in as Minister of State in 2009.

Mr. Trivedi served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms: from 1990 to 1996, representing Gujarat, and from 2002 to 2008, representing West Bengal. In the 2009 elections, he won a seat in the Lok Sabha from Barrackpore, representing the Trinamool Congress.

He joined the government as the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in 2009. In 2011, when Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dinesh Trivedi was appointed the Cabinet Minister for Railways. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, he lost his seat in Barrackpore. After this, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha again. He later left the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP.

Trivedi with Takeshi Maeda, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Government of Japan, discussing rail transportation in New Delhi on 12 January 2012.

As Railway Minister

As the Railway Minister, Dinesh Trivedi believed that the Indian Railways could help India's economy grow. He suggested creating a special group to set train fares, which was a new idea. He also wanted to make the Railways less political and improve how the Indian Railway Board worked.

Trivedi sworn in as Cabinet Minister in 2011.

Mr. Trivedi felt that train fares needed to be increased to modernize the railways and make them safer. He also pushed for a national policy for railways that would stay the same no matter which political party was in power. He was open to the idea of private companies helping to fund and improve the railway system.

In March 2012, Mr. Trivedi presented the annual railway budget. He proposed increasing passenger fares to improve safety and expand the railway network. However, his own party leader, Mamata Banerjee, disagreed with this fare hike. She asked the Prime Minister to remove him from his position. Dinesh Trivedi resigned as Railway Minister on 18 March 2012. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, praised the budget Mr. Trivedi had presented and expressed regret about his departure.

Trivedi flagging off the Sealdah-Puri Duranto Express and Sealdah-Barrackpur EMU Local train at Barrackpore railway station in West Bengal.

Mr. Trivedi also showed interest in starting high-speed passenger trains in India, possibly with help from Japan or France.

Personal Life

Dinesh Trivedi is married to Minal Trivedi, who has a PhD in genetics. They have one son.

Positions Held

Forums

Images for kids

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  Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India, presenting the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for the year 2016 to Dinesh Trivedi, at a function, at Parliament House, New Delhi