Kiren Rijiju was replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal as Union Law Minister on Thursday. The new law minister was married at the age of 14, continued his studies and served as an IAS officer in the Rajasthan government before becoming a distinguished politician.
In a major Union cabinet reshuffle, Kiren Rijiju was replaced by Arjun Ram Meghwal, who was assigned the independent charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice, in addition to his existing portfolios. He is at present, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs and the minister of state for culture. Kiren Rijiju will now handle the portfolio of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
MARRIED AT THE AGE OF 14
Hailing from a middle-class family in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, the 65-year-old Meghwal received his primary education at a government school in his village and completed his secondary education at Jawahar Jain Secondary School in Bheenasar.ALSO READ | Govt shuffles cabinet, Arjun Ram Meghwal replaces Kiren Rijiju as Law Minister
The new law minister was married at the age of 14 while he was studying in eighth standard. He continued his studies and pursued a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Law (LLB) from Sri Dungar College in Bikaner. He later obtained a Master’s degree in Arts (MA) from the same college and pursued a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Philippines University.
KNOWN TO RIDE A CYCLE TO LOK SABHA
Arjun Ram Meghwal is a politician who loves cycling to work. He is known for cycling to Parliament. On several occasions, he was seen riding a cycle to reach Lok Sabha. However, he stopped this habit after becoming a minister in 2016 in the Narendra Modi government.
SERVED AS IAS BEFORE JOINING POLITICS
Arjun Ram Meghwal began his professional career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and served as a District Magistrate in the Rajasthan government. However, he later decided to shift his focus to social service and entered politics. In 2009, he was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Throughout his political career, Arjun Ram Meghwal has held various positions and responsibilities. He has been a member of several parliamentary consultative and advisory committees, including the Consultative Committee on External Affairs, Standing Committee on Defence, Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forest, Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, and many others.
He has also served as the vice president of the BJP in Rajasthan, a member of the National Executive of the BJP, and the Chief Whip of the Lok Sabha.
Arjun Ram Meghwal has also played an important role in various committees and forums, focusing on issues related to railways, ethics, and the absence of members from the sitting of the house, offices of profit, estimates, and more.
Source: Manisha Pandey for India today
