Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Biography 
Balasaheb Vikhe Patil was an Indian politician and a member of Indian National Congress. He was born on 10th April 1932 in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. His father was Padmashri Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil. It was his father who established the first co-operative sugar factory in Asia. He founded this at Loni in Maharashtra.
His birth name was Eknath Rao. He was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from the Kopargaon Constituency of Maharashtra. He married Sindhutai Eknath Rao Patil and has three sons and two daughters.
He initiated various reforms in the field of education, rural development, agriculture, finance sector and health. He served as the member of Lok Sabha from Kopargaon Parliamentary Constituency in 1971 and served till 1991, from Ahmednagar Constituency in 1998 and served till 1999 and from Kopargaon Constituency in 1999 and served till 2004. He served as the Minister of State for Finance from 1999 to 2002, Minister of Industry from 2002 to 2003, and President of Maharashtra Rajya Sahakari Karkhana Sangh from 1981 to 1984 and served in many other posts.
He traveled widely to many countries and attended International Sugar Technologists Conferences Brazil in 1977, in Cuba in 1982 and 1985. He took part in the International Farmers Conference in Paris in the year 1984, Asian Conference on Rural Health held at Beijing in 1988 and World Conference on Science in July 1999 in Budapest in Hungary.
He received Padma Bhushan award from Government of India on 31st March 2010. He also received Annasaheb Chirmule Award in 2001, Saraswati Puraskar award, Rashtra Seva Puraskar award, Life Time Achievement Award from University of Pune and Vikas Bhushan Puraskar award from Kakasaheb Mhaske Pratistan and many more awards.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 04, 2012
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