Former Union minister and Congress leader Yogendra Makwana dies at 92

Former Union minister and Congress leader Yogendra Makwana passed away in Ahmedabad on Tuesday due to age-related issues at the age of 92, a party spokesperson said.

Makwana had served as a Rajya Sabha member from 1973 to 1989. He was deputy chief whip and secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha, said Congress spokesperson Hiren Banker.

He breathed his last this morning.

Makwana was a member of the Union cabinets under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi between 1980 and 1988, according to a release issued by the Congress party.

He handled portfolios including Home Affairs, Planning, Communications, Steel and Mines, Health, and Agriculture.

Born on October 23, 1933, in Sojitra village of Anand district in Gujarat, Makwana began his political journey as the general secretary of the Kheda District Praja Samajwadi Party before joining the Congress at the invitation of Indira Gandhi.

He held degrees of B.A., LL.B., and Ph.D.

In 2006, Makwana was appointed as the chairman of the Scheduled Caste Department of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). In this capacity, he championed numerous welfare initiatives for Scheduled Castes, including the Social Component Plan, the Congress said.

Makwana remained committed to the upliftment of Scheduled Castes and other marginalized communities, it added.