Shillai MLA wants more jobs for youth in his constituency

Ambika Sharma

Known for his politeness and hard work, five-time Shillai MLA, Harshwardhan Chauhan, is a person with a humble persona. Being the son of former Congress minister Guman Singh Chauhan, he entered the political arena at an early age of 26 in 1990. He, however, lost the first election by a narrow margin. After that, he not only won successively till 2012, but also made Shillai a permanent citadel of the Congress. 

He hails from Kando Cheng village in the Kamroo Tehsil of Shillai constituency in Sirmaur district. The 54-year-old legislator is a law graduate who is married to Kalpana, who was his junior in the university. She is a housewife and the couple has a daughter who is in Class VIII.

With a preference for simple homemade food, this MLA is also a movie buff, who makes it a point to watch latest Bollywood flicks with his family. "This not only allows me to spend time with my family, but also helps in relaxing after a day's stress and strain which is unavoidable in public life."

Spending quality time with family is often difficult, as the rigours of politics take away maximum time. "Since family is the foundation of one's success in life, I make it a point to take my family for an annual holiday at least once or twice."

Chauhan has a penchant for reading books and he often delves in the lives of renowned political personalities by perusing their autobiographies. His latest reads include LK Advani's "My Country My Life" and Sonia Gandhi's "The Red Sari", which offer engrossing accounts of various facets of the lives of these leaders.

It is the opening of various educational institutions, in addition to the three colleges at Ronhat, Shillai and Kafota, which has revolutionised the educational scenario in the constituency and a large number of girls are seen studying here. He believes the area should no longer be called backward, as every house has a power connection and all villages have road connectivity. 

"With more than 50 officers serving in top government jobs and more than 150 youth having been selected in the Army in a recent recruitment drive, the hard work of the people has helped them to carve a niche for themselves. The migration of youth has reduced considerably from the constituency and people are more prosperous with ventures like cultivation of off-season vegetables fetching them good avenues," says Chauhan. Keen to bring more employment opportunities for the youth, Chauhan said a rise in the literacy level of the youth will fetch more opportunities. Provision of better markets to facilitate the agrarian community and ensuring jobs for girls who have taken admission to the three colleges will be one of the major focus areas. He said the economy of the region was already witnessing a surge due to improved road connectivity and provision of educational institutes of higher education.

Know your MLA 
Harshwardhan Chauhan (54)

Party: Congress

Qualification: Bachelor of Law

Constituency: Shillai in Sirmaur district

Political background

Being the son of former Congress minister Guman Singh Chauhan, he entered the political arena at an early age of 26 in 1990. He, however, lost the first election by a narrow margin. After that there was no looking back and he won successively till 2012 and made Shillai a permanent citadel of the Congress

Focus

• To get employment opportunities for the youth

• Provision of better markets to facilitate the agrarian community

• Ensuring jobs for girls who have taken admission to the three colleges