 "image")
Who is BL Verma?
Born in 1961, Banwari Lal Verma is currently a Rajya Sabha member from UP and Minister of State in the Modi Cabinet. Verma holds two portfolios as Union minister namely Social Justice & Empowerment, and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Early Life
Born in UP's Budaun district, Verma belongs to the Lodhi caste, which is an OBC community. His father Panna Lal was a farmer in UP. Verma has been associated with the BJP since the 1980s.
Political Career
Political Career
Verma joined the party's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), in 1984 and then after being at various organisational posts, he finally became BJYM's state general secretary. Later, he got involved with BJP and was even appointed party's state general secretary from 2003 to 2007.
Once the BJP formed the govt in UP, after a hiatus of over a decade, Verma was given ministerial positions in the Yogi Adityanath govt as well along with party's organisational positions. Notably, he has held the post of chairman of UP State Construction Development Corporation Limited.
After being elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from UP in 2020, he became MoS for North East Region Ministry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Verma is considered a loyalist of former UP CM Kalyan Singh, who also belonged to the Lodhi caste group. Kalyan Singh's backing and loyalty towards the party played a big role in Verma achieving great heights in his political career.
Here are the latest news from Business Standard