Santosh Mohan Dev is an Indian Politician and an important member of Indian National Congress. He served as cabinet minister in Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in the Government of India. He has served as the Member of Parliament for seven times. He represented Silchar, Assam five times and he was elected from Tripura twice. This veteran political leader has the rare merit of being elected from two states.
Early Life of Santosh Mohan Dev
Shri Sontosh Mohan Dev was born on 1st April 1934 to father Late Shri Satindra Mohan Dev and mother Late Smt. Hiron Prova Dev at Silchar, Assam. His father was a famous Bengali North Eastern Freedom Fighter and Mohan Dev was the eldest among his three brothers. He completed his education from Gurucharan College, Silchar (Assam) and Welsh College of Advanced Technology and Commerce, Cardiff (U.K.) and obtains B. Com., D.B.A., and M.B.A subsequently.
Political Career of Santosh Mohan Dev
During the political career of Santosh he held a number of crucial cabinet and non-cabinet posts. Santosh Mohan Dev had represented India in the Population Conference held in China in 1982. He was also the member of the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at Isle of Man in 1984. The positions he held throughout his political life have been listed below:
Chairman, Municipal Board, Silchar, Assam (1975-85)
Observer, Congress Party, Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Elections (1980)
Elected to 7th Lok Sabha( 1980)
Executive Member, C.P.P. (I) (1980-83)
Observer, Congress Party, Nagaland Assembly Elections (1983)
Chairman, Committee on Government Assurances (1983-84)
Re-elected to 8th Lok Sabha (2nd term) (1985)
Observer, Congress Party, Mizoram Assembly Elections, Observer, Congress Party,
Gujarat Assembly and Parliamentary elections
Union Minister of State, Tourism and Communications (Oct. 1986 to Feb. 1988)
Union Minister of State, Defence (Feb. 1988 to June 1988)
Union Minister of State, Home Affairs (June 1988 to Dec. 1989)
Observer, Congress Party, Tripura Assembly Elections (1988)
Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (3rd term) (1989)
Member, Consultative Committee constituted under Punjab State Legislature (Delegation of Powers) Act, 1987 (1990)
Chairman, Public Accounts Committee (May 1990-91)
Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs
Member, General Purposes Committee,
Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (4th term) (1991)
Union Minister of State, Steel (Independent Charge) (June 1991 to May 1996)
Observer, Congress Party, Punjab Assembly Elections
Observer, Congress Party, Rajya Sabha Elections from Uttar Pradesh,
Observer, Congress Party, Tripura Assembly Elections (1993)
Observer, Congress Party, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections,
Observer, Congress Party, Karnataka Assembly Elections (Nov. 1995)
Observer, Congress Party, Orissa Assembly Elections (Feb. 1996)
Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (5th term) (1996)
Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (6th term) (1999)
Chairman, Committee on Energy (1999-2004)
Member, House Committee,
Member, General Purposes Committee,
Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (7th term) (2004)
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Cultural Interests of Santosh Mohan Dev
Santosh Mohan Dev also has keen interest in socio-cultural activities. He thus took major initiative for the formation of two Central Universities in Assam. He also worked for the welfare of labour especially of workers in tea gardens and villages. He took active participation in flood cyclone relief work. In order to provide help and support to the rural people of Assam, Mohan Dev launched the facility of District Rural Development Agency (D.R.D.A.) Loans for them. He is endlessly striving for the development of rural electrification and transport; provision of water, electricity and sanitation facilities to the slum dwellers.
Santosh Mohan Dev as a Social Activist
Mohan Dev played an instrumental role in broadening financial help to the needy individuals and established a Trust in memory of his father Late Shri Satindra Mohan Dev through which he made the help process lot smoother. He also played an implemental role in the field of education by developing Silchar Regional Engineering College into an institution of repute. He has also been served as the President, Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelani for 2 years.
Mohan Dev has also been the Chief Patron of Bipin Chandra Pal, established in memory of noted freedom fighter from North-East Region Trust, which is engaged into the Socio-welfare activities. He also took special initiative in establishing Gas-based Power project at Adamtilla and Banskandi and also actively involved in construction of Barak Dam and extension of broad gauge line up to Silchar.
Personal Life of Santosh Mohan Dev
Santosh Mohan Dev is married to Bithika Dev and the couple has four daughters. His wife was a Member of the state legislative assembly of Assam from his home constituency of Silchar till May, 2011. He has also served as the Member of Tea Board from 1981 to 83 and the Chairman of Assam Referee Board for 3 years.
Mr. Santosh Mohan Dev is also a certified and professionally qualified Indian football Referee. In his earlier years Mr. Santosh Mohan Dev was also the winner of the All Assam Lawn Tennis Championship. He was inspired by the famous Bengali writers like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore any many other eminent personalities of Bengal. In September 2009 his daughter Sushmita Dev was elected chairperson of the Silchar Municipality making her the fourth generation of the Dev family to join public service and the political affairs. In the March 2011 Assembly elections, Sushmita Dev became the MLA from Silchar constituency.
