Who is Dr Ashwini Vaishnaw - new IT Minister of India - after cabinet reshuffle?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dismissed 12 cabinet members on Wednesday. Reports suggest that these 12 ministers immediately resigned with the permission of Hon'ble President post-criticism of the cabinet's mishandling of the pandemic. Among the 12 names, the Minister of IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad also submitted his resignation. Thus, India has a new IT Minister - Dr Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The resignations of Prasad comes at a time when the central government is already in tough discussion with social media firms such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook etc over the new IT rules. Further, since Prasad was at the lead of the government's efforts to persuade the US social media giants to comply with the laws of the country, what follows in his stead will be noteworthy.

Unlike his predecessor, Dr Vaishnaw will not lead the ministry of Law and Justice. An ex-IAS, Dr Ashwini Vaishnaw will lead the Union Ministry of Railways, Communication along with Information Technology. He is currently an MP representing Odisha State in the Rajya Sabha. He won the Rajya Sabha election unopposed with the help of Biju Janata Dal members in Odisha.

Taking to Twitter, Dr Vaishaw announced his induction in the Union Cabinet and thanked the Prime Minister.

I thank Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the nation as Union Minister. #Govt4Growth

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) July 7, 2021

About Dr Ashwini Vaishnaw

Dr Vaishnaw is a former IAS officer. Vaishnaw served as a Collector in Odisha's Balasore and Cuttack districts. While a Collector in Balasore, the National Human Rights Commission placed on record its appreciation of the sincerity, dedication, and commitment displayed by Vaishnaw in organising and executing relief and rehabilitation work in his district. An IIT Kanpur and Wharton Business School alumnus, he is a BJP Rajya Sabha member from Odisha since 2019.

The new IT minister also did a stint in the PMO when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. He worked in Odisha till 2003. Later, he was appointed as Deputy Secretary in the office of then Prime Minister Vajpayee.

On completing his MBA in the US, Vaishnaw came back to India and quit the IAS in 2010. He joined GE Transportation as Managing Director. Later, he joined Siemens as the Vice President, Locomotives & Head, Urban Infrastructure Strategy. In 2012, he quit the corporate sector after which he set up Three Tee and Vee Gee - both automotive components manufacturing private units in Gujarat.

Others ministers to resign today include Health minister Harsh Vardhan and his deputy Ashwani Chaube, both of whom were criticised for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic measures.