E-Paper
Three-time MP from J&K, Jitendra Singh, gets Ministry of Science and Technology
Jitendra Singh is the first from Jammu and Kashmir to secure a ministerial berth at the Centre for a third consecutive term.
Three-time BJP MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur constituency, Jitendra Singh, was made as the Minister of State (independent charge) of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences on Monday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated portfolios to his Union council of ministers.
The 67-year-old became the first politician from the union territory to secure ministry at the Centre for third consecutive term. He began his political career with the BJP, served as Minister of State in both Narendra Modi’s first and second terms.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Singh defeated former veteran politician and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Udhampur-Kathua constituency and retained in the seat in 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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In the first time as MoS in Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh was allocated various portfolios such as Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, along with Atomic Energy and Space and continued to oversee them in the second term as well.
Singh is also credited in advancing the government’s space exploration efforts, contributing to the successful launch of several ISRO missions. Additionally, his tenure marked substantial progress in public administration reforms and pension-related policies.
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Jitendra Singh was born on November 6, 1956, in Jammu. He began his career in medicine before entering politics. He earned his MBBS from Stanley Medical College in Chennai and his MD from Government Medical College in Jammu. Specialising in Diabetes and Endocrinology, he became a respected doctor and medical author. He rose to prominence during Shri Amarnath land row in 2008.
He was among 71 members of the Council of Ministers of Narendra Modi, who took oath as the Prime Minister of India for a record third term at the Centre. President of India Droupadi Murmu administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the members of the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
