Balwantrai Mehta (Aged 64), who was born on 19 February 1899, served as the second Chief Minister of Gujarat state in India. Although he studied up to the B.A classes, he refused to take the degree from the foreign government. He joined the Indian independence movement and later held various public offices. Due to his contributions towards democratic decentralization, he is considered the ‘Architect of Panchayati Raj’.
In 1920, he joined the national movement of non-cooperation. In 1921, he founded the Bhavanagar Praja Mandal for carrying on the freedom movement in that state. He participated in the Civil Disobedience movement from 1930 to 1932 and the Bardoli Satyagraha. He was sentenced to three years in prison during the Quit India Movement of 1942, and he spent a total of seven years in prison during British colonial rule.
On Mahatma Gandhi’s suggestion, he accepted membership of the Congress Working Committee. When Jawaharlal Nehru became the president of the All India Congress Committee, he was elected its general secretary. He was twice elected in 1949 and 1957 to the 2nd Lok Sabha from Gohilwad (Bhavnagar) Constituency.
He was the Chairman of the Estimate committee of Parliament, which submitted its report in November 1957 and recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democratic decentralization’, which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj. He succeeded Jivraj Narayan Mehta as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on 25 February 1963.
The Department of Post, Government of India issued a special postage stamp of face value INR 3.00 to commemorate his 100th birth anniversary on 17 February 2000. He passed away by 19 September 1965.
Balwantrai Mehta
(1899 – 1965) – (Gujarart)
Balwantrai Mehta (Aged 64), who was born on 19 February 1899, served as the second Chief Minister of Gujarat state in India. Although he studied up to the B.A classes, he refused to take the degree from the foreign government. He joined the Indian independence movement and later held various public offices. Due to his contributions towards democratic decentralization, he is considered the ‘Architect of Panchayati Raj’.
In 1920, he joined the national movement of non-cooperation. In 1921, he founded the Bhavanagar Praja Mandal for carrying on the freedom movement in that state. He participated in the Civil Disobedience movement from 1930 to 1932 and the Bardoli Satyagraha. He was sentenced to three years in prison during the Quit India Movement of 1942, and he spent a total of seven years in prison during British colonial rule.
On Mahatma Gandhi’s suggestion, he accepted membership of the Congress Working Committee. When Jawaharlal Nehru became the president of the All India Congress Committee, he was elected its general secretary. He was twice elected in 1949 and 1957 to the 2nd Lok Sabha from Gohilwad (Bhavnagar) Constituency.
He was the Chairman of the Estimate committee of Parliament, which submitted its report in November 1957 and recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democratic decentralization’, which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj. He succeeded Jivraj Narayan Mehta as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on 25 February 1963.
The Department of Post, Government of India issued a special postage stamp of face value INR 3.00 to commemorate his 100th birth anniversary on 17 February 2000. He passed away by 19 September 1965.
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