President Pranab Mukherjee concluded the centenary celebrations of Vasantrao Naik, former chief minister of Maharashtra, on 01.07.2013 at Navy Nagar ,Mumbai .Mukherjee released a postal cover in honour of the leader. He described Naik as a “great son” of Maharashtra and indeed India.
“Today we talk about the employment guarantee programme in rural areas but it was he who had first introduced such a scheme in Maharashtra during two famines. That scheme is now being implemented in the whole country,” the president said.
He was who had made Maharashtra self-sufficient in food production by establishing four agricultural universities.
Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan announced that the Parbhani Agriculture University will be renamed after Naik.
Political Career
Vasantrao Naik was an Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1963 until 1975. Till date he remains as the longest serving chief minister of Maharashtra.
Also, he had a credit to return to power after completion of full five years which could not be possible for any other chief minister in Maharashtra,
He was born in Gavli, Pusad in 1913.
His experience in grassroots politics made him a responsible legislator.
He was a staunch supporter of Yashwantrao Chavan.
He was a Member of Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh during 1952-1957, the then bilingual Bombay State during 1957-1960 and of Maharashtra during 1960 to 1977. In 1952 he was appointed Deputy Minister for Revenue in the Government of Madhya Pradesh. He was made Minister for Cooperation in 1957 and later Minister for Agriculture in the Government of Bombay State. From 1960 to 1963 he was Minister for Revenue in Government of Maharashtra.
As the CM of Maharashtra
After the death of Mr. Marotrao Kannamwar, he was elected Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a post which he held for more than eleven years during 1963-1975.
He was the father of the Green Revolution in Maharashtra.
The industrialization of Maharashtra is largely the legacy of his progressive industrial policies.
Later his nephew Sudhakarrao Naik also became Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
