Jat stalwart, Sis Ram Ola, gets ministerial berth in UPA-II

New Delhi: Congress MP Sis Ram Ola, who was inducted as a cabinet minister in the UPA-II government Monday evening, is a stalwart leader from the Jat dominated belt of Rajasthan. A five-time MP, Ola represents the Jhunjhunu parliamentary constituency in the state.

Born on July 30, 1927, Ola was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 1957 to 1990, and from 1980 to 1990 he was a cabinet minister in the government of Rajasthan. From 1993 to 1996, he was again a Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly. In 1996, he was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha; he was Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers (Independent Charge) from 1996 to 1997 and Union Minister of State for Water Resources (Independent Charge) from 1997 to 1998. He was re-elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998, the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999, the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004,and the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009. He was Union Cabinet Minister of Labour and Employment from May 23, 2004 to November 27, 2004 and was Union Cabinet Minister of Mines in Manmohan Singh`s government. His son Bijender Ola is an MLA from Jhunjhunu and is a minister in the state government. Sis Ram Ola was also a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1968 for social work. PTI