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DESAI, SHRI DHARMSINH DADUBHAI B.E., S.M., IEEE, M.ASME, F.L.F., Congress, (Gujarat Kaira 1977): s. of late Shri Dadubhai P. Desai; b. at Bhadran, October 30, 1916; ed. at Bombay University, and City and Guilds Institute, London; Fellow of Institute of Engineers; m. Smt. Shantaben, D. Desai, May 15, 1938; 1 s.; Agriculturist, Social Worker, Industrialist, Educationist, Journalist, Engineer find Technocrat; actively associated in all mass satyagrahas during freedom struggle; Chairman, (i) Development Council for Heavy Electrical Industries, Government of India, New Delhi from 1966—1970, (ii) Committee for Development of Engineering Industries, Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (Government of Gujarat), (iii) Physical and Earth Science Sector during the Get-together of Research, Industry and Government held at Ahmedabad, organised by GCCI, (iv) Gujarat Businessmen’s Conference, 1977 Session III—Laws and Legislation—organised by Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (v) Hindustan Conductors Pvt. Ltd. (Conductors Plant), (vi) Hindustan Conductors Pvt. Ltd. (Solid State Devices Plant), (vii) Scope Pvt. Ltd., (viii) Consumers Services Pvt. Limited, (ix) Ceom Private Limited; Founder and Chairman, Agriculture Research and Development Centre, Baroda, (ii) Apar Private Limited, (iii) Apar Private Limited, Lamps Division, Nadiad, (iv) Special Oils Refinery, Trombay, (v) Saras Foods, (vi) Cema Limited; Founder Managing Director and Past Chairman, Hindustan Brown Boveri Limited; Director, (i) Dharmsinh Agricultural Research and Development Foundation, (ii) Dharmsinh Industrial Research Foundation: Director/Member, Working Committee of The Processed Foods Exports Promotion Council (Sponsored by the Government of India); Promoter-Director, Testeels Limited, Permanent Magnets Ltd. etc.; Past Director, Heavy Engineering Corporation, Ranchi (A Government of India Undertaking); President, (i) Gujarat Electricity Board Engineers’ Association, (ii) Dharmsinh D. Desai Education Society, (iii) Bombay Patidar Samaj, Bombay, (iv) All India Food Preservers’ Association, (v) Indian De-hydrated Foods Industries Association (IDFIA); Convenor, (i) Aluminising of ACSR Core Wire instead of Galvanising, (ii) Substitution of lead by PVC in Power Cables, (iii) Sub-Committee to study facilities available with indigenous manufacturers for High Carbon Steel Rods, (iv) Sub-Committee or the Development Council for Heavy Electrical Industries to estimate the requirements of important raw materials and study the possibility of indigenous manufacture of various thermally stabilised insulation materials; Secretary-General, Farmers’ Parliamentary Forum; Patron; The Gujarat Association for Agricultural Sciences; Member, (i) Indian Standards Institution, Ahmedabad, Advisory Committee, (ii) Development Council for Heavy Electrical Industries, Government of India, New Delhi from 1955 to 1973, (iii) Working Group of Electric Power Equipment, Planning Commission, (iv) Central Mechanical Engineering Institute, Government of India, (v) Import Substitution Committee for Wires and Cables, (vi) Committee for advising requirements of Aluminium for the Fourth Plan, (vii) Governing Body, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, (viii) Non-Ferrous Metals & Alloys Development Council, New Delhi, 1956—66, (ix) State Level Coordination Committee for Nationalised Banks (Gujarat State), (x) State Advisory Committee on Electronics (Gujarat State), (xi) State Advisory Council of Industries Gujarat State, (xii) Advisory Panel for Solid State and Physical Chemistry, National Chemical Laboratory, Poona, (xiii) Integration Committee for Kaira District, (xiv) Charutar Vidya Mandal, Vallab Vidyanagar, (xv) American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, (xvi) Electrical Equipment Committee; (xvii) All-India Council of Technical Education, (xviii) Organising Committee, Association of Food Scientists and Technologist (Northern Section), and (xix) National Coordination Committee of Farm Organisation, New Delhi; Life-Member, India International Centre, New Delhi; Senior Member, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Inc. New York; Fellow, The Institution of Engineers (India); Founder, Treasurer, & Member, Indo-German Cultural Society, Indo-German Social Centre, since inception; Member Advisor Managing Committee, Vallabhbhai Patel Engineering College, Bombay; National Advisor, India-International Association of Students of Economics and Commerce; Founder and Managing Trustee, (i) D. D. Educational Trust, Bombay, (ii) Dharmsinh Desai Trust, Bombay; Managing Trustee, Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology, Nadiad; Trustee, (i) Maharana Pravinsinhji Jorawarsinhji Charitable Trust, (ii) Qaumi Ekta Trust, New Delhi, (iii) Dharmsinh Desai Technical High School, Nadiad, (iv) Mrs. Shantaben Dharmsinh Desai High School Vallab Vidyanagar (v) Mrs. Shantaben Dharmsinh Desai School for Girls, Udwada, (vi) Mrs. Shantaben Dharmsinh Desai Bal Mandir, Tardeo, Bombay, (vii) Guest House at Somnath; Chairman, Working Group en Processed Foods, FICCI; Member, Fifth Lok Sabha, 1971—77; Member, CO Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Industrial Development, Science & Technology, (ii) Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Heavy Industries, (iii) Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Petroleum & Chemicals, (iv) Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Exchange Bill, (v) Parliamentary Select Committee on Direct Taxes, (vi) Parliamentary Select Committee on Customs Bill, (vii) Committee on Government Assurances, (viii) Consultative Committee on Gujarat Legislation, (ix) Informal Consultative Committee for the Western Railway Zone, (x) Parliamentary Consultative Committee for Atomic Energy, Space and Electronics; Board Member, For Grant of Awards for practical suggestions on import substitution, Government of India; Member, Committee on Economic Affairs of Congress Party in Parliament; elected Lok Sabha representative of Advisory Council on Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, presently Member (i) Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of M.Ps. and (ii) Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Planning; Delegate, Central Advisory Council of Industries, Government of India since 1966; Member, Government of India delegation to Scandinavian countries in 1956.
Social activities: Donated lakhs of rupees to South Gujarat Flood Relief Fund, Bihar Famine Relief Fund, Kasturba Medical Hospital, Manipal, Mysore, the Institution of Engineers, etc., over a thousand other major donations, assistance etc. have been given to various educational, social, cultural, philanthropic, literary institutions and bodies engaged in relief and uplift dining the last 35 years.
Favourite pastime and recreation: Reading, travelling, setting up and operating industries, educational institutions, farms, research and development and music and drama.
Special interests: Science and technology, visiting, and studying advanced countries industries, agriculture and development in social and educational systems etc.
Accomplishments in letters, art and science : Have many firsts in applied science; selected as “Self-Made Industrialist” of India and awarded “Udyog Patra” by the President of India.
Publications: Published five books and written several articles; Editor, Printer and Publisher, “Arya Swapatra” (Farmers’ own Bulletin), Bombay.
Sports and clubs: Member, (i) Cricket Club of India, Bombay, (ii) National Sports Club of India, Bombay, (iii) W.I.A.A. Club, etc.
Travels abroad: Travelled around the world several times and seen most of the advanced and developing countries of Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa etc.
Permanent address: ‘Gitanjali’, 68 E., Napean Sea Road, Bombay.
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