Hardeep Singh Puri

Hardeep Singh Puri (born 15 February 1952 ) is an Indian politician and retired diplomat of Indian Foreign Service who is serving as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas since 2021.

He is a 1974 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who served as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. Puri served as the chairman of the United Nations Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee from January 2011 to February 2013; and joined International Peace Institute as a senior advisor in June 2013.

Puri joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in January 2014, and became a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in November 2020. Earlier in May 2019, he had taken charge as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs and Civil Aviation and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry.

Early life and education Hardeep Singh Puri was born on 15 February 1952 in Daryaganj, Delhi. He was educated with a BA in history and an MA in political science at the Hindu College, a constituent college of the Delhi University. Drawn to student politics, Puri was elected as the prime minister of the college's student parliament.

United Nations He also served as the chairman of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee from January 2011 to February 2013, and as President of the United Nations Security Council in August 2011, and again in November 2012.

Political career

Hardeep Singh Puri joined the International Peace Institute as a senior advisor in June 2013. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in January 2014, expressing admiration for the party's approach to national security.

He is serving as the Member of Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh from 2018. Puri was inducted into the cabinet as the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, after Venkaiah Naidu was elevated to the post of Vice President of India in 2017. In May 2019, he contested from Amritsar as a BJP Candidate, but lost to Gurjeet Singh Aujla of the Congress.

In May 2019, Puri became the Minister of State (with Independent Charge) for Civil Aviation and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry.

In July 2021, he was promoted to the post of Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, along with Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs in the Second Modi ministry when there was a cabinet overhaul.

In March 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Puri served as part of a special four-minister envoy and brought 6,711 students back to India under Operation Ganga.

Electoral performance

Rajya Sabha

Personal life

Hardeep Singh Puri is married to Ambassador Lakshmi Puri, of the Indian Foreign Service, They have two daughters. His brother, Pradeep Puri, is an IAS officer of the 1979 batch, who played an instrumental role in the construction of the DND Flyway.

On 1 December 2022, Hardeep Singh Puri was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco.