Son of  Shri Paras Ram Thakur; born on 7th June, 1951 at Village Ghial, PO Namhol, Tehsil Sadar, Distt. Bilaspur; L.L.B. (1976) and Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Labour Welfare (1978), educated at H.P. University, Shimla; married to Smt. Kamlesh Thakur; one son and two daughters; Advocate, Social and Political Worker.

Remained General Secretary: Central Student Association, Govt. Degree College, Bilaspur, 1970, ii) NSUI  HP Unit for Sports and Cultural Activities;  represented   Law College in Himachal Pradesh University.

Arrested during 'Jail Bharo Andolan' on 18^th November, 1976 at Shimla.

 Also remained President, Youth Congress Distt. Bilaspur, 1978-1982; General Secretary, H.P. Youth Congress 1982-85; Incharge, PCC, Village and Sanitation Cell; Vice- President, HPCC during 1990-1993 & 2013-17; and presently, Member,  AICC and General Secretary, HPCC.

Elected to the State Legislative Assembly in 1985; re-elected in 1993, 1998 and 2003 from Kot Kehloor Assembly Constituency. Before delimitation in 2007 Sri Naina Deviji Assembly segment was known as Kot Kehloor.

Remained Minister of State,  Law & Legal  Remembrance's Office, Youth Services & Sports, Ayurveda and Local Self Government (Independent charge)  and MPP &Power (attached  to  Chief Minister), 1985-90; Chairman, PUC and  Member, Privileges, Rules and Members Amenities Committees during 1994-95; Health Minister (Cabinet Rank), 1995-98; Industries, I.T., Youth Services & Sports and Forest Minister, 2003 - 2007; and Chairman, Planning Development & Twenty Points Programmes, 2013-2017.

Re-elected to the thirteenth Vidhan Sabha (5^th term) in December, 2017 and nominated as Member, Public Undertakings and Rural Planning Committees.

Special Interest: Social work.

Favorite Pastime: Sports, music and cultural activities.

Sports: An outstanding sportsman; represented Himachal Pradesh in Kabaddi  at National level  for six times and  led  State Kabbadi team for three years and Kabbadi team of  Himachal Pradesh 

University for  two years; adjudged best Naval NCC Cadet ( All India level) during Republic Day Parade in 1971 and also  distinguished as best Cadet (from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and  Himachal Pradesh)  in 1971.

            Elected Vice-President, Indian Olympic Association, 1987-89 and led  Assiad 2006 as  CHEF- DE- MISSION to Qatar; as CHEF-DE-MISSION attended   4^th SAF Games in Islamabad  (Pakistan), 1989;  remained  President i) Himachal Pradesh  Olympic Association 1994-2007,ii)  India Rugby  Football  Association.

Cultural Accomplishment: Participated in All India, Inter-University Festivals and won several prizes; colour holder of Himachal Pradesh culture; also secured colour in music at H.P. University; and casual Artist of All India Radio, Shimla in   folk music.

Languages Known: Hindi and English

Travels Abroad: Attended  Seminar  on Experts in Sports Administration & Organization for English Speaking  Asian and  Oceanic Countries   in Frankfurt (West Germany),1985;  Member,   delegation for the Festival of India in USSR, 1987; visited Korea and Holland  for International Sports  during 2002-03 and Jamaica for Common wealth  Games.