Kalraj Mishra assumes charge of MSME Ministry

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Kalraj Mishra, who took charge of the MSME Ministry today, has stressed on the importance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in creating jobs.

"The objective of this ministry is to make the common man self-dependent. Optimum utilisation of human resources in the MSME sector and establishing a framework for this purpose is the need of the hour and this ministry will work towards that goal. I aim to fulfil the expectations of the people," Mishra said here today.

He contested the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections from Deoria and defeated his nearest BSP rival by a margin of 2.65 lakh votes.

71-year-old Mishra began his political career as a pracharak of RSS in Gorakhpur in eastern UP in 1963.

He became influenced with the JP Movement and worked as a convenor of 'Sampurna Kranti' (Total Revolution) started by Jayaprakash Narayan in eastern Uttar Pradesh in 1974.

He was a political detainee and was kept in the Deoria jail during Emergency.

He has the distinction of introducing 16 Private Member's Bill in the Upper House, including the one to regulate the sale of acid and providing compulsory medical treatment to people in emergencies.