Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu (born 11 July 1953) is an Indian politician and the current chancellor of Rishihood University. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP), representing Rajapur in the Lok Sabha from 1996 to 2009. Later, he served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Andhra Pradesh and Haryana from 2014 to 2022.
Education and career
Suresh Prabhu is a chartered accountant (CA) by profession. He completed his CA in 1977, securing ninth rank in the country. He completed his schooling at Sharadashram Vidyamandir, Dadar, Mumbai. Prabhu later pursued a Bachelor's degree in Commerce with Honours from M. L. Dahanukar College, Vile Parle, Mumbai and a Bachelor of Law degree from the New Law College (Ruparel College campus), Mumbai.
Political career
Prabhu held various ministerial positions in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1998–2004), including Minister of Industry (1996), Minister of Environment and Forests (1998–99), Minister of Fertilizers and Chemicals (1999-2000), Minister of Power (2000–02), and chairperson of the Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers (2002–04). He later served in the Narendra Modi government as Minister of Railways (2014–17), Minister of Commerce and Industry (2017–19) and Minister of Civil Aviation (2018–19).
Awards and recognition
On 18 August 2016, Prabhu received the Goud Saraswat Brahmin Samaj Maharatha Award. Media surveys conducted between 2014 and 2017 consistently ranked him among the top five performing ministers in India. In 2024, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Economic Policy Group (EPG).
Social Work and interests
- Founder and trustee, Manav Sadhan Vikas Sansthan, an NGO
Controversies
Suresh Prabhu has been named in several controversies, including:
- The Adarsh Housing Society scandal.
- Bounced cheques issued by Western India Financial Services, where he served as Chairman.
- The "cobbler scam" involving Saraswat Bank during his chairmanship.
- A banking fraud case in Goa (later dropped on technical grounds).
References
External links
- Official website
- Detailed Profile: Suresh Prabhu
