Super Cyclone to Balasore, Odisha’s Friend in Need & BJP’s Mr Dependable Ashwini Vaishnaw Set for Full RS Term

While his family roots are in parts of Rajasthan’s Jodhpur and Gujarat, the actual karmabhoomi of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw – Odisha — has had a significant role in shaping his career as a politician. As an IAS officer from the Odisha cadre, Vaishnaw served districts of Sundergarh, Balasore and Cuttack. He also worked with the Prime Minister’s office during the regime of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Vaishnaw on Wednesday filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha from the eastern state of Odisha. Brought to the upper house, his previous term from the same state, was not a full term. Nothing else has changed since the last time. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik had announced his support for Vaishnaw back then, and even now.

Vaishnaw, who was made a cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi 2.0 government, has his hands full as the cabinet minister for railways, information and technology, and communications. Moreover, he has also been performing various organisational duties for the party in the run-up to the 2024 elections. He is an active member of the party committee formed to reach out to women, youth and the party’s new joinees.

Back then and even now, the highest authorities in the BJP reached out to Patnaik. However, the chemistry and mutual respect between the Union Minister and Patnaik has always been a story to tell.

THE CRISIS MANAGER

From the super cyclone that hit Odisha to the recent railway tragedy in Balasore, the 53-year-old Union Minister has had a tryst with the state in handling tragedies.

As a young officer, he played a crucial role in handling the super cyclone that hit Odisha in 1999 and was appreciated. During his stint as a collector, his team was able to evacuate thousands of people out of the cyclone-prone region using artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. Vaishnaw used the data available on US JTWC website to accurately track the path of the super cyclone. This strategy became a benchmark across the region, which is frequently impacted by tragedies such as cyclone.

He returned to Odisha nearly two decades later, this time to handle the biggest rail tragedy of the country, Balasore train mishap, on June 2, 2023.

Within hours of the accident, Vaishnaw was on ground. While he traversed through the accident site, understanding the technicalities of the accident, and monitoring the rescue and relief operations, it was not without a plan.

He had an eight-member team comprising more than 2,300 officials working around the clock. The minister was present on ground for 51 hours to oversee the relief operation.

The seasoned bureaucrat-turned-politician also ensured there was no burnout in the hot sultry conditions. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister for skill and development Dharmendra Pradhan were also present on ground. Shuffling teams, giving them a timely break, they handled the tragedy well. His understanding of technology and railway mechanism also ensured that the line was up and running in no time.

As visuals of people showing gratitude after the railway was back on track flashed on TV screens, on the side was Vaishnav and his team with their hands folded and head down in prayer.

SUCCESSES AS MINISTER

As a Union Minister, Vaishnaw has been able to see the conception and passage of the crucial Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, something which is said to be a model that the world is going to follow. In the field of railways, he has been able to spearhead a series of Vande Bharat trains criss-crossing the length and breadth of the country. India’s first bullet train project connecting Ahmedabad to Mumbai has also seen a rapid progress under the Minister. Most recently, the railway ministry also announced Vande Bharat trains for the sleeper class, an aspiration for the country for the last few decades.

Low profile in his approach and dedicated to his job, the saffron party has entrusted Vaishnaw with quite a few tasks for the organisation. He has worked in the backroom team along with Bhupender Yadav in the last Bengal assembly elections in 2021. Thereafter, he was also part of the team entrusted with the victory of the BJP candidates during the last Rajya Sabha elections. Most recently, Vaishnaw, along with Yadav, was in-charge of the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The saffron party was able to win with a thumping majority.

An MBA from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, USA and Masters in Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Vaishnaw, through his entrepreneurial journey, has worked in the railway, urban infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.