Know your minister: A prominent face among Haryana’s backward classes, Ranbir Gangwa wants to improve infrastructure in villages

Gangwa says that his caste Kumhar, which falls in the list of Backward Classes (BC-A) in Haryana, is among the most backward castes in the region. Jangras (Khati) and Sain Samaj (Nai) are the other BC-A communities in the state. Gangwa is known to raise his voice for these communities.

As the Public Health Engineering minister, Gangwa says his focus is on improved implementation of the Haryana Swaran Jayanti Mahagram Yojana (SMAGY) under which drinking water and sewerage facilities will be provided in villages in the pattern of towns.

“This scheme is meant for villages with a population of 10,000 or more. The government has already identified 144 villages to be covered under this scheme. Work has already been completed in 16 villages, and in five more it will be over by year-end,” Gangwa told The Indian Express. “We have laid infrastructure in these villages keeping in view future requirements. Streetlights will also be installed at important places.”

Speaking about Haryana’s road network, the minister said he will try to ensure its upkeep in the best possible manner.

What Gangwa wants is a swift mechanism to resolve people’s grievances. “I have asked officers to resolve people’s complaints within seven days. We will improve the image of the Public Health Engineering Department and the PWD. We will not tolerate corruption.”

Ranbir Gangwa: From Hisar Zila Parishad to the Haryana Assembly

Ranbir Gangwa joined politics in 2000 when he was elected to the Hisar Zila Parishad. In 2005, he was re-elected and became its vice-chairman. Four years later, former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala fielded him from Nalwa Assembly constituency on an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ticket. However, Congress candidate and former minister Sampat Singh won the election in which former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s wife Jasma Devi was also in the fray for the Haryana Janhit Congress.

Later, Gangwa was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2010 on an INLD ticket. In 2014, the party fielded him again from the Nalwa Assembly seat and he defeated Sampat Singh and former deputy chief minister Chander Mohan of the Haryana Janhit Congress.

After the INLD split in 2018, Gangwa joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 polls. He was elected from Nalwa and subsequently became the deputy speaker in the Assembly. Earlier this year, he was re-elected to the state legislature from Barwala constituency.

Ranbir Gangwa’s priorities

• Implementation of Mahagram Yojana in 144 villages
• Better maintenance of Haryana’s road network
• Action on public grievances within 7 days
• Crackdown on corruption
• Improving the image of PWD (Building and Roads), Public Health Engineering department