User:Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi/sandbox
{{Infobox person
| name = Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi
| image = Rana_Gurmit_Singh_Sodhi.jpg
| birth_date = 9 January 1954
| birth_place = Punjab, India
| death_place =
| occupation = Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports & NRI Affairs
| spouse = Smt. Rita Sodhi
| alma_mater = Higher Secondary
| children = 3
| parents = S. Narjit Singh Sodhi (father)
Smt.Raj Kumari (mother)
| website = www
Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, (Born 09 January 1954), is a senior Congress Party Leader in Punjab and a former International Shooter. Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi is a Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Guru Harsahai Assembly Constituency in the Ferozepur District of Punjab since 2002. He had been elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 consecutively. Prior to this, he also functioned as Chief Whip of the Congress legislative party. In April 2018, he was inducted into the Punjab Cabinet as a Cabinet Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs. ‘People’s Man’ a title bestowed on him by his well-wishers & supporters, he has been known for being a non-controversial person with a clean reputation built over the years, through the sheer strength of his character, dedication, courage and the leadership qualities he possesses.
Since 1973, he has been active in politics. He became a member of the Youth Congress in 1976 and has been working dedicatedly for the welfare of the needy, downtrodden and the general masses. Infrastructural development, Sports, Health, Education, Employment & Women Empowerment have been the major areas of his interest for the past two decades.
About family history
[edit]Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi belongs to the Kshatriya family (Khatri), the direct descendant of the 4th Guru of the Sikhs, Shri Guru Ram Das Ji. Due to the religious background, his family commands immense respect across the state of Punjab, especially in Ferozepur District and South Punjab. His family has an extensive following across all the communities of the province, particularly the RAI Sikh community. It was due to the strenuous efforts made by him, caste of the Rai Sikh community could be included in the Scheduled Caste category in 2006. Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi’s family has always endeavored to contribute towards the betterment of the people. He feels extremely humbled and graced by the trust that the people have reposed in his time and again. While he feels that still a lot more needs to be done on many fronts and many milestones need to be reached, he is doing his best with the cooperation and support of the people. He believes that with public support, he can achieve the unimaginable. He believes that with the support of the people and the grace of the Lord, he will be able to tread the right path ahead.
Political achievements
[edit]- 1976: General Secretary, Youth Congress
- 1994: Organizing Secretary, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee
- 1999: General Secretary, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee
- 2002: Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly from Guru Har Sahai, Dist. Ferozepur
- 2002-2004: Political Secretary to Chief Minister, Punjab Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Sports and Youth Affairs and Education), Chief Whip of Punjab CLP
- 2007: Re-Elected to Punjab Legislative Assembly from Guru Har Sahai with the highest margin, amongst the Congress MLAs
- 2007: Re-appointed as Chief Whip of Punjab CLP
- 2012: Re-elected at the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Guru Har Sahai, Dist. Ferozepur
- 2017: Re-elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Guru Har Sahai, Dist. Ferozepur.
- Vice President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Party.
- Chairman, Committee on Questions & References in the current 15th Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
Sports activities
[edit]- Life President, Chandigarh Olympic Association.
- Member, Executive Committee, Indian Olympic Association.
- President, Softball Association of India.
- Working Chairman of 1st Indo-Pak Punjab Games, 2004
- Member, 2010 Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee.
- Member, Commonwealth Advisory Board on Sports (The only Member from India)
- Elected Vice President, Softball Confederation of Asia.
Awards & medals
[edit]- Bronze Medal in Team event representing India in Asian Grand Prix, Clay Pigeon Championship, 2008.
- All India Organizational Entrepreneurial Confederation Award, 1996.
- National Unity Award for outstanding Service Achievements and Contributions towards the Society 1995.
- Asian Shooting Championship 1980 in Manila, Philippines.
- 8th Asian Games Trap Shooting event 1978 in Bangkok, Thailand.
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for outstanding excellence in sports by Govt. of Punjab in 1978.
- National Trap Shooting Championship in Teams Event for five years.
- Gold Medal in National Trap Shooting Championship 1975.
Constituency
[edit]The Guru Har Sahai constituency is one of the 117 Constituencies of Punjab Vidhan Sabha and its constituency number is 78. Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, an active member of the Congress Party, won the last assembly elections in 2017, defeating the nearest rival Vardev Singh Mann (SAD) with a margin of 5,796 votes and is the sitting MLA of Guru Har Sahai. He is the incumbent Sports and Youth Affairs Minister in the Government of Punjab cabinet. The constituency, Guru Har Sahai is located on the Indo-Pak International Border in the Ferozepur district of Punjab and comes under the Ferozepur Lok Sabha seat. There is a total of 13 Lok Sabha seats with a total of 22 districts in the State.