Kapil Narayan Tiwari

Kapil Narayan Tiwari (4 June 1929 – 21 September 2022) was an Indian activist and politician who served in the Orissa Legislative Assembly from 1977 to 1980, representing the Khariar Assembly constituency. Initially elected as an independent, Tiwari joined the Indian National Congress (I) during his tenure in the assembly.

Biography Education and activism Kapil Narayan Tiwari was born on 4 June 1929 in the town of Khariar, then part of the British Raj. After graduating from Raja Artatran High School, Tiwari began attending Sambalpur University in the late 1940s, where he became a student leader, serving as vice president of the students' union from 1948 to 1949. He then began attending Rajendra University, where he was president of the students' union from 1951 to 1952.

In the 1960s, Tiwari, who was described as being "an ardent follower of Ram Manohar Lohia", became an activist. In 1965, Tiwari and MP Kishen Pattnaik filed a public interest litigation with the Supreme Court of India, requesting greater resources to deal with a drought in the Kalahandi and Nuapada districts, which forced the government to institute several special developmental projects in the area. Tiwari also organized relief centers for people affected by the drought. In 1974, he created the Rairakhol Bhimabhoi Krushak Sangharsa Samiti, an activist group affiliated with the National Alliance of People's Movements. Tiwari was regarded as a leader in the socialist movement during his time in the assembly, and he raised awareness of issues such as child trafficking, poverty, starvation, and migration. His death was commemorated by Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, who stated that Tiwari had "dedicated efforts to the development and welfare of the people of the undivided Kalahandi district".