Anand Sharma

Some Lesser Known Facts About Anand Sharma

• Anand Sharma is an Indian politician and a former Union Cabinet Minister in charge of Commerce, Industry and Textiles. From June 2014 to 2022, he served as the Deputy Leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. On 21 August 2022, Anand Sharma stepped down from the chairmanship of the Indian National Congress’ steering committee for Himachal Pradesh.

• During his college days, Anand Sharma was the prominent leader of the student and youth movement in India. He is one of the founding members of NSUI, a students’ wing of the Indian National Congress Party. He is the former President of the Indian Youth Congress.

  

• According to Anand Sharma, India needs huge investment in its manufacturing sector for which the cost of credit must be brought down. He was the leader of a business delegation of over 120 people to Pakistan from India in February 2012. This delegation was conducted to improve the trade relations between the two countries. During this meeting, Anand Sharma emphasised the revision of the existing visa bilateral agreement, which was earlier signed in 1974 with Makhdoom Muhammad Ameen Faheem, former Minister of Commerce and Chambers of Pakistan. This agreement was done to facilitate easy travel by bona fide people in business from both countries.

  

• During his tenure as the Commerce and Industry Minister of India, Anand Sharma initiated several policies to develop India’s manufacturing strategies by alluring many Foreign investments. In 2011, he played an important role in drafting India’s first National Manufacturing Policy (NMP). The main objective of this policy was to improve the percentage of manufacturing from 16 to 25 per cent of GDP along with the creation of 100 million skilled jobs in ten years. For the implementation of this policy, the government established greenfield integrated manufacturing cities and sixteen NIMZ-National Investment and Manufacturing Zones.

  

• When Anand Sharma was the Minister of Commerce and Industry in the Government of India, he was responsible for the opening of Foreign Direct Investment in Defence and Civil Aviation. Under his guidance, the government of India allowed a hundred per cent FDI in Single Brand retail by allowing Foreign Investors to open Multi-brand retail stores in India. The implementation of the e-Biz Project was also conceptualised under his leadership for the improvement of business and investment conditions in India.

• According to the FDI graph, after the Global Economic Crises, India attracted many Foreign Investors during Anand Sharma’s five years tenure as Minister of Commerce and Industry and earned 190 billion US dollars as FDI.

• From 2010 to 2014, Anand Sharma made several amendments to the Foreign Trade Policy that resulted in an optimistic dividend for the country and the merchandise exports of India almost doubled after he gave forward-looking amendments to the FDI policy of India.

• In December 2013, Anand Sharma attended the IXth WTO Ministerial Meeting in Bali where he played a crucial leadership role by defending the right of developing countries like India to public stockholding of food grain for Food Security in their respective countries. As a result, the Ministry of Bali made its first-ever agreement with the WTO including the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

  

• In 2008, Anand Sharma was a part of the formation of a global agreement for the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

• Apart from being a politician, Anand Sharma is also an accomplished author. In 2007, he released his first book titled Gandhian Way. Later, he published Journey of a Nation in 2011, Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru in 2014, and India’s Indira in 2017.

• In November 2014, Anand Sharma made a notable contribution to an International Conference held in Delhi to honour Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India on his 125th Birth Anniversary. During this year, he released his historic memorial book ” Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru.”

• In 2020, Anand Sharma was one of the G-23 leaders of INC who wrote an explosive letter to Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and in the letter, they raised their voices to seek major organisational changes. In the letter, Anand Sharma expressed his views as the veteran members of the party were the builders of the party, not the tenants or slaves. Anand Sharma wrote,
  

  We are the builders of this Congress. We are co-owners, we are not tenants or slaves… When we raise certain issues, why are we being condemned?”

  

• Anand Sharma is a part of a number of social and sports organizations. He is also associated with an Indian government NGO, which works in the disability sector.

• In his leisure time, Anand Sharma likes playing Cricket, hiking, travelling to distant places, and reading books on philosophy and history. He is also a music lover who loves listening to Indian and western classical music.

• On 21 August 2022, Anand Sharma resigned from the “steering committee” of the Congress’s Himachal Pradesh unit and blamed the higher authorities of the party for vilification and humiliation despite working for the party for his entire life. In a media conversation, he stated that he was not invited to be part of all the party meetings and his position had become untenable. Anand Sharma spoke,
  

  I am not saying I am the only one… We all have challenges. I have had issues over the years where I could have withdrawn: Of a challenged autistic son”. “I gave up my profession, I gave up my life. I don’t need to be vilified. I am deeply hurt and humiliated. I am sorry.”