Bhubaneswar, 17 March (H.S.): Dr. Debendra Pradhan, former Union Minister and father of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, has passed away at the age of 84. He breathed his last at his residence in New Delhi.

Dr. Debendra Pradhan was born on July 16, 1941. He completed his early and high school education in Kanihama and Talcher, and then pursued higher studies at Anugul College. In 1966, he earned his MBBS degree from the SCB Medical College in Cuttack. After completing his medical education, he started his career as a medical officer at Talcher Dera. In 1973, he voluntarily retired from his job.

In 1980, Dr. Debendra Pradhan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and served as the president of the Talcher Mandal BJP from 1980 to 1983. In 1983, he became the president of the BJP in the Dhenkanal district, and in 1984, he contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Devgarh constituency as a BJP candidate.

Dr. Pradhan took on the role of BJP's Odisha state president in 1988, and in 1997, he became a member of the BJP’s national executive. In 1998, he was elected as the Member of Parliament from the Deogarh Lok Sabha seat and also served as a Union Minister. He was re-elected as an MP from Devgarh in 1999 and continued his role as a Union Minister. In 2001, Dr. Pradhan was appointed as the national vice president of BJP.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda