Prem Das Rai
Encyclopedia
Prem Das Rai is an India
n politician from the Sikkim Democratic Front
Party. In the 2009 election
, he was elected to the Lok Sabha
from the Sikkim constituency
of Sikkim
, India. He has the distinction of being the first Member of Parliament with the dual and prestigious IIT
and IIM
degrees. He is also a former Eisenhower Fellow (2002) from India.
by the king as part of the royal policy of promoting bright kids. He did his Chemical engineering
from IIT, Kanpur and his MBA, in 1978, from IIM, Ahmedabad.
Mr. PD Rai joined the SDF in its formative years. He served as the party’s General Secretary and has worked at all its various structural levels. He has helped with SDF’s manifesto and vision, and continues to work for the party and for the prosperity of the Sikkimese people. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission of the Government of Sikkim.
Mr. PD Rai’s professional background includes: Senior Executive at Bank of America (Kolkata), Managing Director of Sikkim Milk Union, establishing Sikkim Flour Mills, Chairman of Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (SIDICO) and Sikkim Scheduled Tribes and All Other Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation (SABCO), founding Chairman of the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS), and CEO (Northeast) of BASIX. At BASIX, one of India’s largest microfinance and livelihood promotion institutions, he implemented microfinance initiatives for Sikkim and other NE states by working with farmers, villagers, and non-governmental organizations.
Mr. PD Rai is widely recognized as the man to have introduced Information Technology (IT) and sustainable ecotourism to Sikkim. Furthermore, he has contributed immensely to the building of NGO’s and to a proactive Sikkimese civil society.
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...
n politician from the Sikkim Democratic Front
Sikkim Democratic Front
Sikkim Democratic Front is a political party in the Indian state of Sikkim. The party was founded by Pawan Kumar Chamling in 1993. It has ruled the state since 1994 with Pawan Kumar Chamling as the chief minister. The party consolidated its position sweeping the 1999 and 2004 state elections. It...
Party. In the 2009 election
Indian general election, 2009
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. With an electorate of 714 million , it was the largest democratic election in the world to date.By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be...
, he was elected to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from the Sikkim constituency
Sikkim (Lok Sabha Constituency)
The Lok Sabha constituency of Sikkim covers the entire area of the state of Sikkim. This seat was created in 1977.-Members of Parliament:*1977: Chatra Bahadur Chhetri, Indian National Congress*1980: Pahal Man Subba, Sikkim Janata Parishad...
of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, India. He has the distinction of being the first Member of Parliament with the dual and prestigious IIT
IIT
IIT may refer to:*A number of institutes of technology, including:** Illinois Institute of Technology, a private Ph.D.-granting research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA** Indian Institutes of Technology, a group of higher education institutes in India...
and IIM
IIM
IIM may refer to:*Indian Institutes of Management, a group of business schools in India*Alternative name for Mexican pop group Flans for 2002 revival, from initials of names Ivonne, Ilse and Mimí...
degrees. He is also a former Eisenhower Fellow (2002) from India.
Early life
Prem Das Rai was born in Sikkim. He was sent to an elite school in MussoorieMussoorie
Mussoorie is a city and a municipal board in the Dehradun District of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is located about 35 km from the state capital of Dehradun and 290 km north from the national capital of New Delhi...
by the king as part of the royal policy of promoting bright kids. He did his Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
from IIT, Kanpur and his MBA, in 1978, from IIM, Ahmedabad.
Career
Mr. Prem Das Rai was educated at IIT Kanpur (B. Tech, Chemical Engineering) and at IIM Ahmedabad (MBA). In 2002, he was awarded the prestigious and selective Eisenhower Fellowship (USA) for his contribution to Sikkim’s economic and industrial growth.Mr. PD Rai joined the SDF in its formative years. He served as the party’s General Secretary and has worked at all its various structural levels. He has helped with SDF’s manifesto and vision, and continues to work for the party and for the prosperity of the Sikkimese people. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission of the Government of Sikkim.
Mr. PD Rai’s professional background includes: Senior Executive at Bank of America (Kolkata), Managing Director of Sikkim Milk Union, establishing Sikkim Flour Mills, Chairman of Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (SIDICO) and Sikkim Scheduled Tribes and All Other Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation (SABCO), founding Chairman of the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS), and CEO (Northeast) of BASIX. At BASIX, one of India’s largest microfinance and livelihood promotion institutions, he implemented microfinance initiatives for Sikkim and other NE states by working with farmers, villagers, and non-governmental organizations.
Mr. PD Rai is widely recognized as the man to have introduced Information Technology (IT) and sustainable ecotourism to Sikkim. Furthermore, he has contributed immensely to the building of NGO’s and to a proactive Sikkimese civil society.