PM Modi "shocked" by sudden demise of Union Environment Minister Anil Dave

Anil Madhav

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Thursday said he was shocked to hear about the sudden demise of Minister of State for Environment Anil Madhav Dave. He was 61. He was rushed to AIIMS in the national capital after complaining of uneasiness. Dave has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2009. He was sworn in as a Minister of State with independent charge of environment, forest and climate change in 2016. He was born in Badnagar in Madhya Pradesh. Dave was an RSS worker who did his post-graduation in commerce from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore. Dave was an amateur commercial pilot. He was instrumental in forming the BJP government in MP. Condoling Dave’s death on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed him as a “devoted public servant” who was “tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment”

Absolutely shocked by the sudden demise of my friend & a very respected colleague, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave ji. My condolences.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2017

Anil Madhav Dave ji will be remembered as a devoted public servant. He was tremendously passionate towards conserving the environment. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2017

I was with Anil Madhav Dave ji till late last evening, discussing key policy issues. This demise is a personal loss.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2017

  Tributes poured in from the political fraternity on Twitter for Dave.

Saddened by the sudden demise of Sh. Anil Madhav Dave Union Minister for Environment. My deep condolences with family. RIP

— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) May 18, 2017

Shri Dave was very active and sensitive to issues pertaining to environment. His dedication to work was highly appreciated. 2/3 — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 18, 2017

Anil Madhav Dave Ji was a valued colleague outstanding MP dedicated to cause of environment & sustainable development.Condolences to family — Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) May 18, 2017

I condole the sad demise of Shri Anil Madhav Dave, Union environment minister. It's a great loss for the nation. — Raghubar Das (@dasraghubar) May 18, 2017

Shocked by sudden demise of Union Environment Minister Shri Anil Dave; deepest condolences to his family & well wishers # PresidentMukherjee — President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) May 18, 2017

Shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden demise of our colleague Anil Madhav Dave ji. My heartfelt condolences to his family — Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) May 18, 2017

Deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden demise of my dear colleague,Anil Madhav Dave ji.My sincere condolences — Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) May 18, 2017

As Environment Minister, the contribution of Sh. Anil Madhav Dave ji has been unparalleled. He leaves behind a deep void. — Maneka Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) May 18, 2017

Shocked and extremely sad to know the sudden demise of my colleague Sri Anil Madhav Dave ,Environment Minister.My heartfelt condolences. pic.twitter.com/mwj982iNsN — M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) May 18, 2017

COMPLETE PROFILE OF ANIL MADHAV DAVE Anil Madhav Dave was an environmentalist, river conservationist, writer, Member of Parliament and an amateur pilot. Born on July 6, 1956 in village Barnagar of Ujjain district in Madhya Pradesh, Dave received his primary education in Gujarat. He did his Masters in Commerce with a specialisation in Rural Development & Management from Indore. He was a student leader during his college days. He was well-known for his work on river Narmada through an organisation ‘Narmada Samagra’ founded by him, which works on conservation of Narmada and its catchment area through various activities and events. He flew a Cessna 173 aircraft along the banks of Narmada for 18 hours to complete his circumambulation in air. He travelled and completed an insurmountable raft journey of 1312 km long river Narmada in 19 days. He is the driving force behind the organisation of a biennial event ‘River Festival’. This festival is one of its kind, in entire Asia. It covers climate change and environmental issues, specially related to conservation of rivers across the globe. He authored books on various subjects/areas like politics, administration, art & culture, travelogue, history, management, environment and climate changes. Some of his books are: “Shivaji & Suraaj; Creation to Cremation; rafting through a civilization: a travelogue; Shatabdi ke Paanch Kaale Panne; Sambhal Ke Rehna Apne Ghar Me Chhupe Hue Gaddaron Se; Mahanayak Chandrashekhar Azad; Roti Aur Kamal ki Kahani; Samagra Gram Vikas; Amarkantak se Amarkantak Tak ; Beyond Copenhagen; Yes I Can, So Can We”. Anil Madhav Dave initiated the programme for development of bio-toilets in every school of Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. This programme was declared by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during his speech on Independence Day in 2014 from Red Fort in Delhi. Dave adopted “Jahanpur Panchayat” (cornerstone of a local self-government) having four villages under it (including Jahanpur) near the banks of river Narmada, which he has taken under ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’for its overall and ideal development. He has held several important positions. These include: Member, Standing Committee on Environment and Forest and Science & Technology; Member, Standing Committee of Water Resources; Member (Board of Governors) of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan; Nominated as Member of Indian Council for Cultural Relations; Chairman, Select Committee on Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013; Chairman, Select Committee on Coal Mines (Special Provision) Bill, 2015; Chairman, Select Committee on The Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill, 2015; vice President for the 10th World Hindi Conference held in Bhopal, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs; Chairman, Organising Committee for National Conference on “Global Warming & Climate Change – A Way Out” in the run-up to Simhasth Kumbh 2016; Chairman, Organising Committee for International Simhasth Summit 2016 “Vichar Mahakumbh”; Member of Select Committee on the Payment and Settlement Systems; Committee on Public Accounts; and member of Select Committee on ‘Wakf Board’. He attended conferences on environment and climate change organised by UNFCCC in various parts of the world. He also participated in seminars and conferences on counter-terrorism held every year in Israel. He extensively travelled in different parts of the United States of America, Europe and southern parts of Africa.