Anil Dave passes away: 5 things you need to know about the Environment Minister

Ani Dave was an author, pilot, party strategist and, most importantly, a passionate enviromental activist.

New Delhi | Updated: May 18, 2017 12:42 PM IST

3 min read

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Anil Madhav Dave was a man with many feathers in his cap. He was an author, pilot, party strategist and, most importantly, a passionate enviromental activist. Appointed as environment minister during a Cabinet reshuffle in 2016, Dave’s work through his NGO, Narmada Samagra, made him an expert in river conservation. Environmental conservation, a subject close to his heart, saw him cycle to the Parliament to raise awareness about the issue.

Here are five things you need to know about Anil Dave:

1# Dave founded the NGO Narmada Samagra for conservation of the Narmada river. He has been campaigning for many years to clean up the highly polluted river body. Recently, Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed a resolution declaring the river as a living entity. The state government also kickstarted Narmada Seva Yatra, a campaign to clean the river.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, condoling his death, said it was a “personal loss” to lose Dave, a “big brother” and “close friend”.

“Big brother, close friend Mr @anilmdave . It is a personal loss. The Venerable Mr @anilmdave as the country has a true patriot and mother Narmada worthy is lost. This damage can never be compensated,” he tweeted.

2# Dave, NCC Air Wing Cadet, holds a pilot licence. He reportedly once piloted a Cessna aircraft around the banks of Narmada for 18 hours.

3# After completing his post graduation in commerece from the Gujarati College in Indore, Dave became actively involved with the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh. His grandfather Dadasaheb Dave was also an RSS pracharak. His immaculate organisational skills saw him rise in the RSS ranks. Dave was deputed to Madhya Pradesh to assist the BJP ahead of the 2003 assembly elections. He was known for his booth-level management and planning. Dave was eventually made the chief of the BJP’s election management committee during the state assembly elections in 2003, 2008 and 2013 and Lok Sabha elections in 2004, 2009 and 2014.

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4# In 2009, Dave was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. He was part of various parliamentary committees and served as Chairman for the Select Committee on Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2013. He was also known for successfully organising the World Hindi Conference in Bhopal and an international conference on the occasion of Simhastha (Kumbh) Mela in Ujjain.

5# Dave was born to Pushpa and Madhav Dave on July 6, 1956 in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district.

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