Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas; Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India

Born in 1969 in Talcher, in Odisha’s Angul district, Dharmendra Pradhan earned his MA in Anthropology from Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar. He embarked on his political career in 1983 as an activist of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He was elected president of the Talcher College Students’ Union in 1985, and was actively involved in student and youth movements in Odisha. Subsequently he has held a number of state- and national-level positions in the BJP.

Mr. Pradhan has worked on several issues concerning youth, such as unemployment and the lack of skill-based education. He has also worked to promote the rehabilitation and resettlement of farmers and displaced persons. He has been instrumental in mobilizing youth in politics and developing leadership amongst them. He is a keen reader of books on history, politics, and changing social trends.