Oscar Fernandes

Dr. Oscar Fernandes (born 27 March 1941) is an Indian politician, a senior Indian National Congress leader and was the Union Cabinet Minister for Transport, Road and Highways and Labour and Employment, Government of India in UPA government. He is one of the closest confidants of the present Congress President Rahul Gandhi and one of the major leaders in the taking of important decisions of Congress Party. He is also the Chairman of Central Election Authority of the All India Congress Committee. He was previously the AICC General Secretary, the Minister of State (Independent charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Dr. Manmohan Singh's first UPA government in India. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to Rajiv Gandhi. He was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha in 1980 from Udupi constituency in Karnataka. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1996 from the same constituency. Later, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1998. He was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2004. He was a Union Minister from 2004 to 2009, holding a number of portfolios such as Statistics and Programme Implementation, NRI Affairs, Youth and Sports Affairs and Labour and Employment. He served two terms as a member of the Council of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Oscar Fernandes
Oscar Fernandes assumes the charge of the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi on 24 May 2004
Director of The Young Indian
Assumed office
22 January 2011
Director of The Associated Journals Private Limited
Assumed office
17 June 2010
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Assumed office
1 July 1998
ConstituencyKarnataka
Minister for Road Transport and Highways
In office
17 June 2013 – 26 May 2014
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh
Preceded byC. P. Joshi
Succeeded byNitin Gadkari
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
18 January 1980 – 10 May 1996
Preceded byT. A. Pai
Succeeded byI. M. Jayarama Shetty
ConstituencyUdupi
Personal details
Born (1941-03-27) 27 March 1941
Udupi, South Canara, British India
NationalityIndia
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Blossom Fernandes
Children2
ResidenceDoris Rest Haven, Ambalpady, Udupi.

Personal life
The President Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam administering the oath as Minister of State (Independent Charge) to Oscar Fernandes at a Swearing-in Ceremony in New Delhi on 22 May 2004

Oscar was born to Roque Fernandes, the head of Government Composite PU College and the first President of Manipal Institute of Technology and Leonissa M. Fernandes, the first female magistrate in India, at the family estate at Udupi. Fernandes was one of 12 children in his family, and grew up with a strong Catholic background. As a child he was an altar boy, and as a youth he was active in Church activities. His family belongs to the Fernandes-Prabhu clan, a Mangalorean Catholic Brahmin clan from Udyavara in Udupi district.[1] He married Blossom Mathias Prabhu on 26 August 1981 and has one son Oshan and one daughter Oshanie. His son Oshan is married to Frazil Quadros and Oscar's daughter Oshanie is married to Mark Saldanha. In 2002 Fernandes inaugurated the Glowinstar Academy, an integrated development school, in Ambalpady, dedicated to his father, Roque.

Citations
  1. Lobo 2000, p. 250

References
  • Lobo, Michael (2000). Distinguished Mangalorean Catholics, 1800–2000: a historico-biographical survey of the Mangalorean Catholic community. Camelot Publishers. ISBN 978-81-87609-01-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link).
Political offices
Preceded by
C. P. Joshi		 Minister of Road Transport and Highways
17 June 2013 – 25 May 2014		 Succeeded by
Nitin Gadkari
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