Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, Banaskantha MP and an alumunus of Vidyamandir was sworn in as a Minister of State for Home in the Cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. This is only the second time that an elected representative from Bansakantha district has been included as a minister of the central government, after B.K. Gadhvi who was a minister in the Congress government under Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s.

Now serving his fourth term in Parliament, Chaudhary had won Lok Sabha elections from Banaskantha earlier in 1998, 1999 and in the 2013 by-elections that were necessitated by the death of the then sitting MP, Congress’ Mukesh Gadhvi.

Chaudhary has been closely associated with the diamond community and Palanpuri Jain families. He completed his schooling from Vidyamandir, Palanpur and graduation and post graduation from Gujarat University (Ahmedabad) and Mumbai University respectively. He has been involved in a number of social organizations in the course of his work for the development of the district. He is Chairman of Shri Vidhya Vihar Sarvajanik Trust and S.K. Mehta High School in Jagana and also Secretary, Shri Banaskantha Chaudhary Pragati Mandal Trust and Trustee, Shri Banaskantha Anjana Kelvahi Mandal Trust.

During his previous tenures in the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha, Chaudhary was a member of various committees such as Committee on Finance; Consultative Committee, Ministry of Chemicals and Standing Committees on Finance.