Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice, Government of India.
1st Floor, Sanchar Bhawan, Ashok Road,
New Delhi. PIN- 110001
Facebook: @RaviShankarPrasadOfficial
Twitter: @rsprasad
Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad is the Cabinet Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice in the Government of India. He is an eminent Lawyer and a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India. He is a Member of Parliament since the year 2000.
As a senior Minister in Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi he spearheaded Digital India program. His efforts have led to revival of India’s telecom sector which witnessed the highest ever investments in last five years. India’s largest telecom PSU, BSNL witnessed a turnaround under his leadership. He is also leading the task of developing India into a global electronics manufacturing hub. India Post has emerged as the leader in eCommerce logistics service providers as well as vehicle for financial inclusion under his leadership. As the Minister for Law & Justice he has been leading the reforms in the judiciary. He spearheaded the reform for appointments in higher judiciary which resulted into enactment of National Judicial Appointment Commission, which was pending for more than 20 years.
Spearheading India’s stand in global internet governance, he has been advocating the multi stakeholder approach to make internet governance more democratic. He has been championing the cause of free and open internet which is easily accessible to all. The 2015 telecom spectrum auction fetched highest ever revenues. This was possible due to transparency and fairness that he brought about in auction. In 2018, Apolitical- a UK based NGO identified him among the top twenty most influential leaders in digital governance.
He served as a Minister between 2001 and 2004 with Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee. In September 2001 he was appointed as a Minister of State for Coal and Mines and earned accolades for the turn-around of Coal India Limited- the loss making public sector undertaking. In his capacity as a Minister of State for Law & Justice he played instrumental role in reforming India’s electoral system and bringing out greater transparency in politics. In January 2003, he was elevated in the Union Cabinet as Minister for Information and Broadcasting. In this capacity he brought Direct to Home (DTH) services in India, liberalized FM radio services and granted industry status to Indian cinema. He took major initiatives for promotion of Indian cinema & international cooperation in this field.
He has a very wide experience in the political movement of this country since student days. During his student days, Ravi Shankar Prasad was known for championing the cause of civil liberties and human rights. He has been a front ranking leader in the famous JP Movement led by eminent public figure Jay Prakash Narayan. During this movement he campaigned vigorously for restoration of freedom of press, independence of judiciary and individual liberty during the national emergency of 1975, which brought him to the forefront of Indian political landscape. He is a senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and is a member of its national executive since 1995. He has been the Spokesperson, Chief Spokesperson, General Secretary and media head of the party. He has also been in-charge of the Party in many states of India. As a lawyer also he played an active role in some very important cases involving issues of political reforms enforcing government accountability and civil liberties.
