Yashwant Sinha (English: Yashwant Sinha, born 6 November 1937, Patna, Bihar) is a former civil service officer and politician. At one time he was counted among the senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But after leaving BJP, he joined Trinamool Congress (TMC). Yashwant Sinha was the Finance and External Affairs Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was among those bureaucrats who became politicians. He is also considered the game changer of the Indian economy. Yashwant Sinha has so far created an image as a person of character and a gentleman. In 2015, he was awarded the ‘Legion of Honour’, France’s highest civilian honour, for his contribution to India-France relations.
Yashwant Sinha was born on 6 November 1937 in Patna. His father’s name was Vipin Bihari Sharan and his mother’s name was Dhanna Devi. His wife’s name is Neelima Sinha. Son’s name is Jayant Sinha. Yashwant Sinha is interested in reading, gardening, meeting people and many other areas. He has traveled widely across the country and the world and has led many political and social delegations. He played a leading role in many negotiations and exchanges on behalf of the country.[1]
Yashwant Sinha received his primary education from a school in Patna and his Masters degree in Political Science from Patna University in 1958. After this, he taught the same subject in Patna University till 1960.
Yashwant Sinha joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1960 and spent more than 24 years in the service, holding several important positions during his tenure. For 4 years he served as Sub-Divisional Magistrate and District Magistrate.
After being Under Secretary and Deputy Secretary in the Finance Ministry of the Government of Bihar for 2 years, he worked as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce of the Government of India.
Between 1971 and 1973, he served as First Secretary (Commercial) in the Indian Embassy in Bonn, Germany.
He later served as the Consul General of India in Frankfurt between 1973 and 1974. After working in this field for about seven years, he gained experience in the field of foreign trade and India’s relations with the European Economic Community.
He later worked in the Department of Industrial Infrastructure of the Government of Bihar and the Ministry of Industry of the Government of India where he was responsible for foreign industrial cooperation, import of technology, intellectual property rights and industrial approval matters.
As Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Surface Transport, Government of India, between 1980 and 1984, his major responsibilities included Road Transport, Ports and Shipping.[1]
In the year 1984, Yashwant Sinha resigned from civil services and entered Indian politics. He first took membership of Janata Party. In the year 1986, he was made the General Secretary of the party. He was elected Rajya Sabha member in the year 1988. During the year 1990-1991, he became the Finance Minister in the Chandrashekhar government. Later he was made the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in June, 1996. After this, he served as Finance Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from March 1998 to May 2002. Yashwant Sinha was sworn in as External Affairs Minister on July 1, 2002. In the 2004 general elections, he lost from his constituency Hazaribagh. However, he again reached Parliament in the year 2005. On June 13, 2009, Sinha resigned from the post of BJP vice-president.[2]
While holding the post of Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha had rejected some policies and proposals, after which he was also criticized. But the economic reforms carried out by him gave the right direction to the Indian economy. These include cutting interest rates, introducing mortgage interest tax deduction, freeing up the telecom sector, helping to fund the National Highway Authority and deregulating the petroleum business.
Yashwant Sinha broke the 53-year-long British-era tradition of presenting the Indian budget at 5 pm. He is remembered for his contribution to international relations. He also wrote a book titled ‘Confessions of a Swadeshi’ about his experiences during his tenure as Finance Minister.[2
