Praful Patel

Some Lesser Known Facts About Praful Patel

• Patel’s father, Manoharbhai Patel, was also a politician who had served as an MLA in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Gondia constituency.

• When Praful Patel was only 13 years old, his father passed away.

• Praful is also a businessman; he owns his family business of tobacco & bidi making. He has also shown interests in pharmaceuticals, finance, real estate, packaging, etc. Later, he also headed the ‘Ceejay House,’ a company trading in tobacco.

• The Patel family also runs the ‘Gondia Education Society,’ an organisation founded by his father in 1958 in Gondia District of Maharashtra. The organisation imparts education to more than 1 lakh students in all disciplines ranging from Arts, Commerce, Law, Engineering, Information Technology, Pharmacy, Computer Sciences, etc.

  

• When he was the Minister of Civil Aviation, he convinced the government to increase the foreign direct investment cap in the domestic airlines’ sector from 40% to 49%.

• Patel has also been associated with sports. He has also rendered his services to Gondwana Club, Nagpur Lions International Club, served as the Gondia Football President of the All India Football Federation, Cricket Club Mumbai, and Mumbai Cricket Association, Mumbai.

• Patel was instrumental in making AIFF (All India Football Federation) introduce the ‘Indian Super League.’

  

• Patel was bestowed with the title of ‘Reformer of the Year’ by ‘The Economic Times.’

• In October 2009, he was made the President of AIFF for the first time.

• In 2011, when he was the Minister of Heavy Industry, he launched a project to build the world’s largest solar power plant near Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan. He also inaugurated the Auto Hub in Nagpur.

• In 2016, he was elected the President of AIFF for the third time unopposed.

• On 1 December 2016, Patel was appointed as the Senior Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

  

• On 24 January 2017, Patel launched the inaugural edition of the Indian Women’s League at New Delhi.

• On 10 June 2023, the leader of the NCP party, Sharad Pawar, announced that Praful Patel and Supriya Sule have been appointed as working presidents of the party.