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Biography
Vyricherla Kishore Chandra Suryanarayana Deo (born 15 February 1947) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress political party. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha for five times, and has also held one term in the Rajya Sabha. From July 2011 to May 2015, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Tribal Affairs & Panchayati Raj
Early life
Kishore Chandra Deo was born in Kurupam to Raja V. Durgaprasad Deo of Kurupam and Rani (now,Late Rajmata) Sobhalata Devi.He is the present Zamindar of Kurupam,Vizianagram District,Andhra Pradesh. He belongs to the Konda Dora scheduled tribe community, and is from a family of tribal hill chiefs. He was educated in Madras, he holds an M.A. degree in Political Science and a B.A. degree in Economics from Madras Christian College, Madras (now Chennai).
Political career
Deo was a member of the Lok Sabha representing the Araku (ST) constituency (for 2009-2014) in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. He has been a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) which is the highest decision-making body of the party. He was first elected to parliament in 1977 and has been elected to the Lok Sabha five times, and has also held one term in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament). On 12 July 2011 he was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister in the Union Cabinet, holding the portfolios of Tribal Affairs and Panchayati Raj.
He was also a Minister of State for Steel, Mines and Coal in the Central Cabinet in 1979-80. He has served on numerous parliamentary committees, and has been the chairperson of several key parliamentary committees, including the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill that led to the Forest Rights Act. He was also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings (CoPU).
He headed the parliamentary investigation into the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal.
Deo is the author of the book Changing India's Political Mould, published in 1993. The book is on electoral and federal reforms in India.
Positions held
- Cabinet Minister - Tribal and Panchayati Raj Affairs - July 2011 – present
- Minister of State for Steel, Mines and Coal in the Central Cabinet - 1979-80