President nominates 6 eminent members to Rajya Sabha
President Pranab Mukherjee has nominated of six eminent members to Rajya Sabha as per the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution.
These nominated members are
- Mary Kom: Legendary boxer and Olympic bronze medallist. She belongs to the Sino-Tibetan speaking Kom tribe of Manipur. She is five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. In 2014, she became the first Indian woman boxer to get a gold medal in the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
- Narendra Jadhav: He is renowned economist and former member of the erstwhile National Advisory Council (2010-14) and Planning Commission (2009-14). He is also the former vice-chancellor of Pune University.
- Suresh Gopi: He is Malayalam actor and had acted in over 200 films. He is a winner of the National Film Award and Filmfare Award.
- Swapan Dasgupta: He is journalist by profession. He had worked at senior editorial positions in various publications including The Indian Express, India Today and The Times of India.
- Subramanian Swamy: He is BJP leader and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977, 1980 and 1988, and to the Rajya Sabha in 1974 and 1998.
- Navjot Singh Sidhu: He is cricketer-turned-politician and former two time member of Lok Sabha.
Nomination of eminent members to Rajya Sabha
- As per Article 80 (Part V) of the Constitution, President can nominate 12 members in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
- These persons should have special knowledge or practical experience in the field of Art, Science, Literature and Social Service.
- The rationale behind the principle of the nomination is to facilitate the representation of eminent professionals and experts who cannot face direct elections.
Month: Current Affairs - April, 2016