All-round development on Naina Devi MLA’s mind

Dinesh Kanwar

Thakur Ram Lal, MLA from Shri Naina Devi Constituency of Bilaspur district, has been a Cabinet minister in the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government in the state. 

Son of Paras Ram Thakur of Ghial village, near Namhol, in Bilaspur district, Ram Lal was born on June 7, 1951. He has done BA, LLB and Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Labour Welfare from the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. He married Kamlesh Thakur and the couple is blessed with two daughters and a son.

He was first elected to the Himachal Pradesh State Legislative Assembly in 1985 and was re-elected in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2018. He was the Minister of State for Law, Youth Services and Sports, Ayurveda and Local Self Government from 1985 to 1990. He was the Health Minister in the Congress government from 1996 to 1998 and Cabinet Minister for Industries, Forest, IT and Youth Services and Sports from March 2003 to 2007.

Despite having long political innings, he had been an active sportsperson and represented the state in Kabaddi six times at the national-level and remained captain thrice of the state kabaddi team. He was the member of Himachal Pradesh University Sports Council. He was also elected as the general secretary of the Central Students' Association of HPU.

Ram Lal Thakur was adjudged the best National Cadet Corps Cadet at all-India level during the Republic Day parade and also as the best cadet from northern states in 1971. He was the president of Youth Congress in Bilaspur from 1978 to 1982. He was arrested during Jail Bharo Andolan of the Congress Party in 1978 and remained the member of All-India Congress Committee for a long time.

Thakur wants all-round development of the constituency, but is annoyed with the poor performance of the BJP government in the state. He said the government should prioritise to resume the construction of four-lane road from Kiratpur to Manali as people living along the highway were the main sufferers. He said the construction company that was constructing the road had fled and houses were gathering dust following poor maintenance of the road. 

He said villages in Changar, Jagatkhana and Swarghat area were facing acute water shortage and providing sufficient water supply to them was his priority. He said the work below Swarghat hill for making a tunnel had dried many water sources in the area and water is being brought in tankers from Kiratpur which was not sufficient.

He said roads, health services and education in the constituency were in a poor state, as many schools were left with one or no teacher as the government was transferring teachers on political grounds without considering the requirement of schools. He said many health institutions in the constituency were without regular doctors. "I have urged the government to appoint teachers in schools and doctors in health centres," said Ram Lal Thakur. He said Bilapur has two hill stations that could be developed as tourist destinations, including Swarghat and Bahadurpur. He said during his tenure as the Forest Minister, he had got two rest houses constructed at Swarghat (forest awareness centre) and Bahadurpur. He said both buildings were very poorly maintained and at Bahadurpur not even a single attendant was posted.

Thakur Ram Lal said he would seek the intervention of the Chief Minister in developing the constituency. 

Thakur Ram Lal (67)

Party: Congress

Qualification: Has done BA, LLB and Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Labour Welfare from the Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla 

Constituency: Shri Naina Devi

Political background: He was first elected to the HP State Legislative Assembly in 1985 and was re-elected in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2018. He was the Minister of State for Law, Youth Services and Sports, Ayurveda and Local Self Government from 1985 to 1990. He was the Health Minister in the Congress government from 1996 to 1998 and Cabinet Minister for Industries, Forest, IT and Youth Services and Sports from March 2003 to 2007.

Focus

• Providing sufficient water supply to villagers in Changar, Jagatkhana and Swarghat area as they are facing acute shortage  

• Improving roads, health services and education in the constituency. He said many schools had only one or no teacher, as the government was transferring teachers without considering the requirement of schools. He said many health institutions in the constituency were without regular doctors.