Modi Sarkaar 2.0: Ex-Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank gets MHRD, here's what you need to know

Among other prominent ministers under the Modi 2.0 Government, BJP parliamentarian Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who won from Haridwar in the national election, was chosen to head the Ministry of Human Resource Development succeeding Prakash Javadekar.

A day after the incoming Union Council of Ministers was sworn in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the list of portfolios for his new Council of Ministers on Friday afternoon. A total number of 24 Cabinet Ministers took oath at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, followed by nine Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 24 Ministers of State on Thursday evening.

Here's all you need to know about the new HRD minister:

Pokhriyal served as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2009 to 2011. After his term ended in 2011, he was not seen in the political limelight for almost eight years now. Although he won every election during these years he never got a ministerial berth in his state or at the Centre. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, he retained the seat from Haridwar and defeated Ambrish Kumar of the Indian National Congress by a huge margin of 2.59 lakh votes.

Pokhriyal, who hails from Pinani Village, Pauri Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, graduated from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand in Arts, and acquired his PhD. He has also received a Doctor of Letters degree, which is an academic degree, also said to be a higher doctorate which, in some countries, may be considered to be equal to a PhD and equal to a Doctor of Science.

He is a prolific Hindi writer and has been writing poems and stories since childhood. With more than 35 literary works, of which 10 have been translated into other languages like German, French and more, the new HRD minister has novels, short stories, poems and travelogues to his credit. His first ever collection of poems was called Samarpan and it was published in 1983. He is also said to have authored various anthologies and novels, as well as books on personal development and children's literature.

Pokhriyal has also been honoured by the Republic of Mauritius with a Gopio International Award for his literary, social, and political contributions throughout the years.