24 Facts About Nanaji Deshmukh

Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh, better known as Nanaji Deshmukh, was a social activist and politician from India.

Nanaji Deshmukh worked in the fields of education, health, and rural self-reliance.

Nanaji Deshmukh was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award in 2019 by the Government of India.

Nanaji Deshmukh was a leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor to the Bharatiya Janata Party, alongside being a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary organisation.

Nanaji Deshmukh worked as a vegetable seller to raise money for his education.

Nanaji Deshmukh went to high school in Sikar, where he was given a scholarship.

Nanaji Deshmukh rose to be the Saha Prant Pracharak of the whole of Uttar Pradesh.

Nanaji Deshmukh was sent to Uttar Pradesh as a Pracharak.

Nanaji Deshmukh established India's first Vidya Bharati, the educational wing of the RSS, inGorakhpur in 1950.

When in 1947, the RSS decided to launch two journals as well as a newspaper, Swadesh, Nanaji Deshmukh was given the role of the managing director.

Nanaji Deshmukh emerged as a key figure during this period, playing a central role in orchestrating underground publication efforts.

Nanaji Deshmukh's groundwork was a great help in strengthening the BJS at the grassroots.

Lohia and Nanaji Deshmukh's association led to the first non-Congress coalition government in Uttar Pradesh after the 1967 state elections.

Later, Morarji Desai, who became the prime minister heading the Janata Party government offered him the Cabinet portfolio of Industry, but Nanaji Deshmukh declined the offer.

Nanaji Deshmukh had won in the 1977 election held after revocation of the Emergency with a comfortable margin from the Balrampur Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh.

Nanaji Deshmukh was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the NDA coalition government, under prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in 1999.

Nanaji Deshmukh did work towards the anti-poverty and minimum needs programme.

Nanaji Deshmukh assumed chairmanship of the institute after leaving politics and devoted all his time to building up the institute.

Nanaji Deshmukh was instrumental in carrying out social restructuring programme in over 500 villages of both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states of India.

Nanaji Deshmukh established Chitrakoot Gramoday Vishwavidyalaya in Chitrakoot, India's first rural University, and served as its Chancellor.

Nanaji Deshmukh was awarded India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1999, by Vajpayee's BJP government.

Nanaji Deshmukh died on 27 February 2010 in the premises of Chitrakoot Gramoday Vishwavidyalaya that he established.

Nanaji Deshmukh was unwell for some time due to old age and had refused to be taken to Delhi for treatment.

Nanaji Deshmukh bequeathed his body to the Dadhichi Dehdaan Sanstha of New Delhi, and so his body was sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for medical research.