Oscar Fernandes is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 politician, a senior Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 leader and AICC

All India Congress Committee

The All India Congress Committee is the Presidium or central decision-making assembly of the Indian National Congress Party. It is composed of members elected from State-level Pradesh Congress Committees and can have as many as a thousand members...

 General Secretary. He was the Minister of State (Independent charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment

Ministry of Labour and Employment (India)

The Ministry of Labour and Employment, a branch of the Government of India, is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to labour and employment in India. Shri. Mallikarjun Kharge is the Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Shri...

 in Dr. Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...

's first UPA government in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. He was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha

7th Lok Sabha

List of Members of the 7th Lok Sabha, elected December 1979-January 1980. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.- Important members :* Speaker:...

 in 1980 from Udupi constituency

Udupi (Lok Sabha constituency)

Udupi Lok Sabha constituency was a former Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka. This seat came into existence in 1957. With the implementation of the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies in 2008, it ceased to exist.-Assembly segments:...

 in Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

. 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

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

 in 1998. He was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2004. He was a Union Minister from 2004–2009, holding a number of portfolios such as Statistics and Programme Implementation, NRI Affairs, Youth and Sports Affairs and Labour and Employment.

Personal life

Oscar was born to Roque Fernandes and Leonissa M. Fernandes in 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. He belongs to the Mangalorean Catholic community. He married Blossom Mathias Prabhu on 26 August 1981 and has one son Oshan and one daughter Oshanie.

External links

• Detailed Profile: Oscar Fernandes in india.gov.in website