Vijay J. Darda

Vijay Jawaharlal Darda (born 14 May 1950,Yavatmal) is a politician from Indian National Congress party, and was a Member of the Parliament of India representing Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha since 1998, having been elected for three consecutive terms into the upper house of the Indian Parliament. He is the chairman of the Lokmat Media Group. He is also the President of the Akhil Bhartiya Sakal Jain Samaj. Darda was President of the Indian Newspaper Society, New Delhi from 1997 to 1998. He continues to be a member of its executive committee.

Early life and political career
Darda was born in a Shwetambar Jain Family in Yavatmal. His father, Jawaharlal Darda, was a freedom fighter during the independence struggle of India. Jawaharlal Darda launched Lokmat, a daily Marathi newspaper on 15 December 1971, in Nagpur. Vijay J Darda received a diploma in Journalism and Printing Technology from Mumbai University In 1988. Vijay Darda was awarded D.Litt. (Doctor of Literature) by internationally renowned D Y Patil University at the convocation of the university in Navi Mumbai on 28 March 2023, at the hands of Maharashtra governor Ramesh Bais and chancellor of Dr D Y Patil University Dr Vijay Patil in the presence Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and dignitaries from all walks of life. He was conferred with the degree for his outstanding work across the fields of journalism, social work, education, politics, philanthropy for the betterment of society. he contested his first Rajya Sabha election and won as an independent candidate against the Congress candidate Ram Pradhan. After winning as an independent candidate, Congress party nominated him for the 2004 and 2010 Rajya Sabha elections in which he secured victory.

Darda was elected and served as the chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) for 2010–11.

Vijay Darda on 28 June 2022 presented a cheque  worth Rs 71 lakh to defence minister of India Rajnath Singh and Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande on behalf of Lokmat Foundation for the construction of houses for the soldiers guarding the War Memorial in Kargil.

Kargil War Memorial was constructed in Kargil in 2004 on the national highway NH-1D from Srinagar to Leh after the Kargil war victory in 1999. Since this place is very close to the Pakistan border and there is a strong possibility of a terror attack here, an Army contingent has been deployed for its security.

Kargil War Memorial Home for Jawans has been built with contribution from Lokmat Foundation and funds collected from members of the public. The War Memorial Home was dedicated to the jawans by Vijay Darda in presence of Rajendra Darda, Brig U S Anand, Brig B S Multani, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta and Major General Nagendra Singh at Dras (Ladakh) on 23rd Kargil Vijay Diwas on 26 July 2022.

In 1986, he organised All India Kabaddi Gold Trophy Tournament at Yavatmal to promote the Indian game at an international level.

When the execution of the Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded railway project was delayed, Darda requested authorities to intervene. On 11 June 2014, he made a demand for a separate state for Vidarbha in Parliament because of the problems that people of the region face. He demanded that the first cargo hub of the country should be set up in Nagpur, which would generate widespread employment and fuel growth and development in the region. He said that the Sewagram Ashram at Wardha should be declared a national heritage structure as it has been witness to the 'satyagraha' and national freedom struggle, the release said. He demanded the government to ensure that there was no interference with the freedom of press.

Darda published a book titled Public Issues Before Parliament that compiles his various contributions as a Member of Parliament. The book was released by then Vice President of India Hamid Ansari.

In 2014, Darda actively highlighted the problems of people in Vidarbha region and urged the centre to create a package of INR 200 crores for widows of farmers who committed suicide, and which supported institutions of higher education in the backward region. An agro-based industry model was suggested by him to create alternate employment opportunities. Darda urged for additional financial incentives to attract more industrial investments to the Vidharbha region.

During the meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Darda raised issues about the Maharashtra government managing airports. He pointed out that the Maharashtra Govt. has no expertise in maintenance of airports and development of infrastructure, and the condition of the airport is deteriorating due to non-appointment of strategic partner who could make investments for development of the airports.

Darda was part of the Pakistan-India Parliamentarians' Dialogue in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2011. He told the press, "The 26/11 incident is important for India and cannot be considered a closed chapter. The trust deficit can also be bridged if steps are taken to release Sarabjit Singh." Darda also said, "Pakistan will have to act on India's long-standing security concerns, including the handing over of Dawood Ibrahim and the prosecution of those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attack case. Visas should also be issued freely and Pakistan can benefit from India's expertise in areas like healthcare. The two sides also have to address key issues like poverty, education and differences over sharing river waters."

Darda raised issues of wildlife conservation in Parliament.

Darda scrupulously followed up in Rajya Sabha on issues including combating global warming, cleaning of the Yamuna river and depleting forest cover in the country. He also proposed the installation of surveillance systems at national parks to check poaching, as well as to mitigate the illegal trade of leopard skin and body parts.

In an exclusive interview with senior journalists in Nagpur, Mr. Vijay Darda said a strong political will is needed to complete his dream project Wardha -Yavatmal-Nanded railway line on time. Darda said he is pursuing this project constantly for last 13 year. So far, he has discussed the project with eleven Railway Ministers and made correspondence with relevant authorities several times. Darda said, original cost of the project 284 km yellow line was 274.55 crore but the cost has escalated to 3,165 crore now in 2021.

Private member bills

 * The National Commission for Hygienic Food, Packed Drinks and Water Bill, 2005
 * The Electronic Waste (Handling and Disposal) Bill, 2005
 * The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2006
 * The Whistle Blowers (Protection in Public Interest Disclosures) Bill, 2006
 * The Tele-Shopping (Protection of Consumer's Rights) Bill, 2006
 * The Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2006
 * The Rajya Sabha Secretariat (Administration) Bill, 2006
 * The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2006
 * The Electronic Waste (Handling and Disposal) Bill, 2015
 * The Consumer Goods Price Fixation Board Bill, 2015
 * The Gymnasiums and Fitness Centres (Regulation) Bill, 2015
 * The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2005
 * The Pathological Laboratories and Clinics (Regulation and Control) Bill, 2006
 * The Children School Bags (Limitation on Weight) Bill, 2006
 * The Mobile Camera Phone Users (Code of Conduct) Bill, 2006
 * The Compulsory Registration of Marriages Bill, 2007
 * The Prevention of Atrocities on Women Bill, 2007
 * The Consumer Goods Price Fixation Board Bill, 2007
 * The Supreme Court (Establishment of a Permanent Bench at Nagpur) Bill, 2007
 * The Information Technology and Infotainment Facilities in Villages Bill, 2007
 * The Divorced Women (Protection and Welfare) Bill, 2007
 * The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2007
 * The Gymnasiums and Fitness Centres (Regulation) Bill
 * The Special Courts for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2007

Parliamentary committees, memberships and delegations

 * Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology (September 2014)
 * Member of Consultative Committee for Petroleum and Natural Gas
 * Member of Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India (July 2010)
 * Member of Rajya Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation (September 2010)
 * Member of Central Consumer Protection Council, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (September 2010)
 * Member of Philatelic Advisory Committee of the Department of Posts, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (November 2010)
 * Member, Committee on Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) Aug. 2012 to July 2016
 * Participated in India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme (Washington D.C., USA, 2008)
 * Delegation visit to Morocco & Tunisia with vice-president of India Dr. Hamid Ansari in 2016
 * Committee on Petitions (Date of Re-constitution: 24 September 2009)
 * Committee on Subordinate Legislation (Date of Re-constitution: 29 September 2010)
 * Committee on Finance(Ministries/Departments : Finance; Corporate Affairs; Planning; Statistics and Programme Implementation) (Date of Constitution: 31 August 2010)
 * Attended Security Council Meeting-1992 along with Prime Minister of India: U.N.O. Headquarters, New York
 * Member Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Government of India, Dehradun (Uttaranchal)
 * Member, Environmental Appraisal Committee, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, New Delhi
 * Member, National AIDS Committee, Ministry of Health, Government of India, New Delhi
 * Member, Indo-Pak Parliamentary Forum
 * 2001–Feb. 2004 Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Culture
 * 2002 onwards Vice-president / Member India-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group
 * Aug. 2004 onwards Member, Parliamentary Committee to review the rate of Dividend payable by the Indian Railways to the General Revenues
 * 2005 onwards Member, Indo-Japan Parliamentary Forum
 * Feb. 2005 onwards Member, Hindi Salahakar Samiti, Ministry of Company Affairs
 * May 2005 onwards Member, Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games 2010
 * Oct. 2006- May 2009 and July 2010 onwards Permanent Special Invitee, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
 * Member, Hindi Salahakar Samiti, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry Member, Hindi Salahakar Samiti, Northern Railways
 * Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Culture
 * Konkan Railways Users Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Railways, 2005
 * Member, Hindi Salahakar Samiti, Central Railways Aug. 2012 - May 2014
 * Member, Hindi Salahkar Samiti, Rajya Sabha Secretariat June 2015 to July 2016
 * Member, Advisory group, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
 * Member, of the Standing Committee on Information Aug. 1998-Feb. 2004
 * Member, of the Standing Committee on Technology Aug. 2004 - Dec. 2006
 * Member, Indo-China Society 2003 to 2010
 * Member, Indo- US Parliamentary Forum 2004 to 2010
 * Member, Standing Committee on Finance Aug. 1998-Feb. 2004 and Aug. 2004 - Dec.
 * Member, Bureau of Indian Standards Dec. 2006- May 2009 and Aug. 2009 - Aug. 2012 2006, Sep. 2007- May 2009 and Aug. 2009 - May 2014 and Sept. 2014 to July 2016
 * Member Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Aug. 2009 to 2010
 * Vice-president, India-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group May 2013 - May 2014
 * Member, Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests Sept. 2014 to July 2016
 * Member, India-Uruguay Parliamentary Friendship Group
 * Member, Committee on Commerce 2012 to July 2016
 * Member, Parliamentary Forum on HIV/AIDS

Non-parliamentary positions

 * Chairman, News18-Lokmat Marathi News Channel
 * Member of Press Council of India, New Delhi (From March 1998 – 2001, March 2001 – 2004)
 * Member of the ABC's Council of Management
 * Chairman, Jawaharlal Darda Institute of Engineering & Technology (Shri Jawaharlal Darda Education Society) Yavatmal
 * President of Amolakchand Mahavidyalaya (Vidya Prasarak Mandal), Yavatmal
 * President of Amolakchand Law College (Vidya Prasarak Mandal), Yavatmal
 * President of College of Physical Education (Hanuman Vyayamshala Krida Mandal), Yavatmal
 * Founder Chairman, Yavatmal Public School (Shri Jawaharlal Darda Education Society), Yavatmal
 * President of Anglo Hindi High School and Junior College (Hindi Prasarak Mandal), Yavatmal
 * Chairman of Priyadarshini Co-operative Spinning and Ginning Textile Mills Ltd., Yavatmal
 * Chairman, Darda Investment And Properties Pvt Ltd
 * Chairman and Director of Vidhya Prasarak Mandal, Yavatmal
 * Founder of Amolakchand College of Science, Commerce, Arts and Law
 * Chairman and Director of Jawaharlal Education Trust
 * Founder of Matoshree Veenadevi Darda English Medium School at Yavatmal
 * President, Vidya Prasarak Mandal

Publications

 * Tapsi: Reminiscences of Veenadevi Darda, My Respected Mother: The Indian Emergency as seen by an Indian (English version)
 * Lokmat Congress Centenary Special-1985
 * Sanskar Pushpa, discourses of Jain Sadhvi Preeti Sudha Ji
 * Raktanjali, a book of inspiring poems written by Col. V.P. Singh dedicated to the Kargil Martyrs
 * Straight Thoughts
 * Na Sampanare Shabda 
 * Seedhi Baat
 * Satyam Shivam Sundaram
 * Public Issues Before Parliament
 * Ringside

Family
Vijay's brother, Rajendra Darda, was also elected from Aurangabad East Assembly constituency from 1998 thrice. He was the minister of education and industry in Maharashtra Government. Vijay Darda is married to Jyotsna Darda and has two children - Devendra (son) and Purva (daughter). Jawaharlal Darda, his father, was from Yavatmal district. A freedom fighter, Jawaharlal Darda was also the state treasurer for the MPCC. He was part of the cabinet at as the minister for industries and energy of Maharshtra state.

Reception
Being a Congress Member, on 29 July 2012, at a function in Ahmedabad, Darda remarked that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is a tiger and a national saint.

Philanthropy
Darda is the founder of Shri Jawaharlal Darda Institute of Engineering & Technology at Yavatmal and is the Managing Trustee of Press Institute of Maharashtra, Pune along with Smt. Kusumabai Darda Trust.

Bhari village in the Yavatmal district was adopted by Darda under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. The village was converted into a model village at a cost of INR 1 crore.

Darda donated INR 5 lakhs to the descendants of Tatya Tope because of the deteriorating condition of the family.

He supported Sultana Begum (great granddaughter of Bahadur Shah Zafar) with the wedding of her daughter.

Darda has worked towards stopping the slaughterhouses and has interest in wildlife conservation owing to his Jain roots.

In 1984, Darda arranged funds for the people who were impacted by floods in Nanded and Parbhani. School buildings were constructed. He supported the Lokmat Relief Fund during earthquakes of Bihar (1988) and Killari (Latur, Marathwada 1993). Kargil Relief funds were raised by him and the group for the martyrs of Kargil from Aurangabad, Nagpur, Lature and Solapur through which hostels were made.

Vijay Darda has taken an initiative to provide substantial support for higher education to the children of the martyred cops who laid down their lives for maintaining peace in Gadchiroli district and the state. At a programme held at the Gadchiroli police headquarters on 14, December 2022, financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each was given to 20 children

Social and religious
Under the guidance of Shri Vijay Darda, Lokmat Media Group organised a National Inter-Religious Conference in Nagpur on 24 October 2021. Religious and spiritual leaders from different religions participated in this conference and called for communal harmony and universal brotherhood. The religious leaders who graced the conference included Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji, Founder of Art of Living, Swami Ramdev ji, Founder of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, Acharya Dr. Lokeshmuni ji, Founder of  Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, Brahmaviharidas Swami ji of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Cardinal Oswald Gracias ji, Archbishop of Mumbai, Pralhad Wamanrao Pai ji of Jeevanvidya Mission, Mumbai, Bhikkhu Sanghasena, Founder of Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, Leh and Ladakh and Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Gaddi Nashin, Dargah Ajmer Sharif. The Chief Guest of the programme was Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India and the Guest of Honour was Shri Dayashankar Tiwari, Mayor of Nagpur.

Awards and recognition

 * Feroze Gandhi Memorial Award for excellence in Journalism (1990–91)
 * International jurists award in UK (2011) given by Rt. Hon. Lord Phillips (President of the Supreme Court of the UK) for work in the field of legal education in India's rural areas
 * Giant International Journalism Award (2016) for best contribution in the field of Journalism in Maharashtra, India
 * The Best Produced Newspapar for the Best Printing Technology Award by the hand of President of India Shri Giani Zali Singh awarded in 1983.
 * Nemichand Shrishrimal Foundation Award for the excellence in the field of Journalism in 1996
 * Journalism award 1997 for the best contribution in the field of Journalism in Maharashtra State
 * Maharashtra Kala Niketan 7th Maharashtra Cine Natya Paritoshik 2003
 * Outstanding Youth Person, 1987, by Indian National Jaycees, Chapter-Yavatmal Cotton City Jaycees
 * Ten Outstanding Businessmen, Industrialists & Professionals Award, 2001
 * Brijlal Biyani Award for Journalism, 2006
 * Yavatmal Bhushan Award 2007, by Yavatmal Rotary Club
 * Late S.M. Garge Journalism Award for 2007
 * Mahakaruna Award in recognition of contribution to maintaining love & social harmony in society. The award was given the hands of Bhikkhu Sanghasena ji, founder President & Spiritual Director of Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, Leh (Ladakh)
 * Global Peace Award for outstanding leadership and service to the country and humanity during  the International Sufi Rang Mahotsav 2022 organised by Chishty Foundation at Ajmer (Rajasthan)
 * 'Global Achiever' (Best Politician) award at the World Summit for Global Achievers 2022 ceremony organised at Satyagrah Hall in Raj Ghat, New Delhi,