By IANS,
Bhubaneswar: Srikant Jena, who was appointed minister of state with independent charge in Tuesday’s cabinet reshuffle, is a four-time MP from Orissa and the state’s sole representative in the union council of ministers.
Jena, who has been a legislator for three terms, has been given the portfolios of statistics and programme implementation and chemicals and fertilisers.
The 61-year-old politician started his political career under the leadership of former Orissa chief minister Biju Patnaik and is known for his fighting spirit.
A resident of Ratnagiri village in coastal Jajpur district, Jena has a bachelors degree in arts.
He was imprisoned for 19 months during the 1975-77 emergency.
He served as the minister of state for small scale industry, agro and rural industries in the V.P. Singh government in 1989-90 and as a cabinet minister for parliamentary affairs and tourism in the government led by H.D. Deve Gowda in 1996-97.
Jena joined Congress in 2008 and won the Lok Sabha election from Balasore.