Patangrao Kadam

Patangrao Kadam (8 January 1944 – 9 March 2018) was an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He came from a middle level farmer family in a small village, Sonsal in Sangli district. He previously held the forest ministry in the Maharashtra government. He was also an educationist and was the founder of Bharati Vidyapeeth. Kadam died of renal dysfunction at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on 9 March 2018.

Early life
Patangrao Kadam was born into a middle-level farming family in a small village of Sonsal, Sangli District in Maharashtra. Since no educational facilities were available in Sonsal, Kadam had to walk 4–5 km every day to attend a primary school in a nearby village. He did his secondary education up to S.S.C. at a boarding school in Kundal.

Kadam was the first person from his village to have passed the S.S.C. examination. After S.S.C., he joined Shivaji College, Satara, run by Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, which was established by a renowned social reformer and educationist, Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil. He was enrolled in the College under its "earn and learn scheme". He took lessons of dedicated social service from Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil.

Kadam came to Pune in 1961, where he completed a one-year Diploma Course in teaching in 1962, and started working as a part-time teacher in a secondary school in Pune run by Rayat Shikshan Sanstha. Kadam obtained a bachelor's degree in Law and master's degree from the University of Pune. Despite his preoccupation with educational, social and political activities, Kadam completed his research on the theme "Administrative Problems of Educational Administration in 80s" for which he was awarded a Ph.D. in Management by the University of Pune. He has also established Milk Society, Spinning Mills, Sugar Factories, a Bank etc.

Political Career
Acting President - Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee
 * June 1991 - May 1992 - Minister of State for Education
 * May 1992 - 1995 - Education Minister (Independent Charge)
 * October 1999 to October 2004 - Cabinet Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Parliamentary Affairs
 * November 2004 onwards - Minister of State for Rehabilitation and Relief Works
 * December 2008 - Cabinet Minister, Government of Maharashtra - Revenue, Rehabilitation and Relief, Earthquake Rehabilitation and School Education
 * March 2009 onwards - Cabinet Minister, Revenue Accounts, Government of Maharashtra
 * November 2009 onwards - Cabinet Minister, Government of Maharashtra - Forest Department
 * November 2010 to 2014 - Cabinet Minister, State of Maharashtra - Department of Forests, Rehabilitation and Relief, Earthquake Rehabilitation

Death
After prolonged illness caused by renal dysfunction, Patangrao died at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on 9 March 2018.