Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar - Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. Prior to this, he served three five-year terms in the Lok Sabha and headed several ministries including the development of the North-East region (2006–09), Panchayati Raj (2004–09), Youth Affairs and Sports (2006–08) and Petroleum and Natural Gas (2004–06).

In 2010, the prime minister appointed Mr Aiyar as the chairman of an expert group to examine the best ways in which to promote the ideas contained in the 1988 Action Plan. The recommendations of his group have been accepted and are being acted upon by the Government of India. He served 26 years in the Indian Foreign Service (1963–89) and as an aide to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and was associated with the Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free and Nonviolent World Order, which Gandhi presented in 1988 to the Third Special Session on Disarmament of the United Nations. Mr Aiyar has authored several books including A Time of Transition: Rajiv Gandhi to the 21st Century (Penguin, 2009),Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist (Penguin, 2004),Rajiv Gandhi’s India (Ed.in 4 Volumes, UBSPD, 1997), Pakistan Papers (UBSPD, 1994),One Year in Parliament (Konark, 1993) and Remembering Rajiv(Rupa,1992). Mr Aiyar also contributes frequently to various Indian journals.

He holds an MA degree from Cambridge University, Britain and a graduate degree in economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University. In 2006, the President of India presented Mr Aiyar with the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian’ award.