Anand Sharma: News

Born on January 5, 1953, Anand Sharma is an Indian politician, a former Union Cabinet Minister, and a Rajya Sabha member who is associated with the Indian National Congress. As of 2021, he is serving as the Deputy Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, a position he held since 2014. He completed his education from RKMV College Shimla, and the Faculty of Law, Himachal Pradesh University. He entered politics in his youth and was instrumental in laying the foundation of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), which is a students wing of the Congress. He also served as the president of the Indian Youth Congress and became a Rajya Sabha member from Congress in 1984. During the 10-year Manmohan Singh government, Sharma held various positions including the Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of Textiles. As the Minister of Commerce and Industry, he was instrumental in the introduction of India’s first National Manufacturing Policy in 2011, with an aim to increase the contribution of manufacturing in India’s GDP from 16% to 25%. Under his tenure, India received $190 billion as FDI. A lawyer by profession, Sharma has also authored four books.