Shripad Naik

Shripad Naik
Shripad Yasso Naik
Naik in October 2014
Minister of State for Ministry of Tourism
Assumed office
7 July 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Minister G. Kishan Reddy
Preceded by Prahlad Singh Patel
Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Assumed office
7 July 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal
Preceded by Mansukh L. Mandaviya
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of AYUSH
In office
9 November 2014 – 7 July 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Preceded by Office established
Succeeded by Sarbananda Sonowal (as minister of AYUSH)
Minister of State for Defence
In office
30 May 2019 – 7 July 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Minister Rajnath Singh
Preceded by Subhash Ramrao Bhamre
Succeeded by Ajay Bhatt
Minister of State (Independent Charge) Culture and Tourism
In office
26 May 2014 – 9 November 2014
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Preceded by Chiranjeevi
Succeeded by Mahesh Sharma
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
1999
Preceded by Ravi Naik
Constituency North Goa
Member of the Goa Legislative Assembly
In office
1994–1999
Preceded by Ravi Naik
Succeeded by Sudin Dhavalikar
Constituency Marcaim
Personal details
Born 4 October 1952
Adpai, Goa, Portuguese India
(now India)
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse Vijaya Shripad Naik
Children 3
Parents
  • Yesso Naik
  • Jayashri Yesso Naik
Residence Velha Goa
Occupation Politician

Shripad Yesso Naik (born 4 October 1952) is an Indian politician serving as the current Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India in office 7 July 2021 (in Second Modi ministry). He was the former Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. He is the Member of Parliament from North Goa constituency, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Early life

Shripaad Naik was born on 4 October 1952 at Adpai village, North Goa District, Goa.

Political career

Shri Shripad Yesso Naik taking charge as the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), in New Delhi on 31 May 2019.

In 1999, Naik was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from North Goa constituency in Goa. As of 2019, he has held his seat in this constituency winning in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 elections. As of 2019, he is a member of the 17th Lok Sabha. In 2014 Lok Sabha Election, he won with a margin of 105,000 votes which is very high for a small state of Goa.

Further, as advised by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President has appointed Naik as Minister for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Naik was appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, on 9 November 2014. On 25 March 2016, Naik publicly stated he had access to research which proved that diseases such as cancer could be cured by yoga. He further stated that his Ministry was a year away from granting an endorsement to such techniques and research. The statement was challenged by medical researchers, scholars and doctors, who advocated caution in claiming a cure to cancer on the basis of unproven and unpublished research with no scientific evidence.

Naik continued as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH and was appointed Minister of State for Defence on 31 May 2019.

Awards

He received the Samaraj Ratna Award on 18 August 2016.

Accident

He met with an accident on the evening of 11 January 2021 in Ankola, Karwar district, Karnataka, after the driver of the car en route from Yellapur to Gokarna in the state is said to have lost control at the wheel on the ghat section, causing the car to go turtle into a ditch. Also due to the accident, his wife and personal secretary suffered grievous injuries. Police later confirmed they succumbed to their injuries whilst undergoing treatment to recover them in the hospital. His wife died in this accident.