Party Name : Indian National Congress
Constituency : Ernakulam
State : Kerala
Member Experience : Elected to Loksabha 5 time
Last Loksabha Attended : 16
Father's Name : Late Shri Kuruppassery Devassey Varkey
Mother's Name : Late Smt. Rosa Varkey
Date of birth : 10 May 1946
Profession : Professor Trade Unionist, Writer, Social Worker, Agriculturist
Positions held :
1970 to till date Member, Indian National Congress (I.N.C)1977 to till date Member, Kerala Pradesh Congress (I) Committee1978 - 1987 General Secretary, Ernakulam District Congress (I) Committee1984 Elected to 8th Lok SabhaObserver, A.I.C.C., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and LakshadweepMember, Committee on Official LanguageMember, Library Committee1984 - 1989 Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation1984 to till date Member, A.I.C.C.1984 -1996 Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Tourism, Defence and Official Language1987 - 2001 President, Ernakulam District Congress (I) Committee1989 Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (2nd term)19 Jan 1990 - 7 Aug. 1990 Member, Joint Committee on Salaries & Allowances of Members of Parliament1990 Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (3rd term)1992-1997 Treasurer, Kerala Pradesh Congress (I) Committee2001-06 & May 2006-2009 Member, Kerala Legislative Assembly (two terms)2001-2004 Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Excise, Govt. of Kerala2009 Re-elected to 15th Lok Sabha (4th term)27th May 2009 - 18th Jan 2011 Union Minister of State, Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution19 Jan 2011 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Consumer Affairs, Food and Public DistributionMember, Cabinet Committee on Economic AffairsMember, Cabinet Committee on PricesMember, Group of Ministers on Agreement on Trade in Goods under the Comprehensive Economic co-operation Agreement (CECA)Member, Group of Ministers (GOM) regarding review of the Fertilizer PolicyMember, Group of Ministers to consider issues relating to World Trade OrganisationMember, Core Group of Central Ministers and State Chief Ministers regarding prices of Essential CommoditiesMember, Empowered Group of Ministers to review the situation and take quick and timely decisions on policy issues as well as on other issues for effective management of drought and related issuesMember, Empowered Group of Ministers to consider issues concerning procurement Management of food grain stocks, revision of Central issue prices of food grains and the proposed law on Food SecurityMay, 2014 Re-elected to 16th Lok Sabha (5th term)9 June 2014 - 12 Dec. 2014 Member, Panel of Chairpersons, Lok Sabha12 June 2014 - 22 Aug. 2014 Member, House Committee14 Aug. 2014 - 30 April 2017 Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee (PAC)1 Sept. 2014 onwards Member, Standing Committee on Urban DevelopmentMember, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers16 Sept. 2014 Member, Committee on Scrutiny of Budget Estimate of Lok Sabha29 Jan. 2015 onwards Member, General Purposes Committee13 May 2015 onwards Member, Joint Committee on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 201512 June 2018 onwards Member, House Committee
More Information :
Books Published
All in Malayalam (i) Ente Kumbalangi; (ii) Ente Kumbalangiku Shesham; (iii) Kumbalangi Touch; (iv) Kumbalangi Flash; (v) Kumbalangi Varnamkal; (vi) Ammayum Makanum; (vii) Sonia Priyankari; (viii) Ente Leader; (ix) Order, Order, Order; (x) Villaku Marangal; (xi) Kumbalaghi Kalidoscope; (xii) For The Grains
Literary, Artistic & Scientific Accomplishments
Books and Articles in English & Malayalam daily alongwith Research work in Chemistry
Social And Cultural Activities
Actively participated in Labour Movement and Literary activities.
Special Interests
Tourism and Fisheries Development
Favourite Pastime and Recreation
Fishing, Music, Reading, Writing and Horticulture
Countries Visited
Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the People`s Republic of China), Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malta, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Rome, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, U.A.E., Vietnam and Yugoslavia
Other Information
Chairman, Indira Gandhi Co-operative Hospital, Kochi, 1994-96; President, 7th Ward Committee, Kumbalanghi, 1970 - 75; Prof. K.V. Thomas Vidya Dhanam Trust giving mid day meal to 123 Schools and 32,000 students Organising Secretary, INTUC, Kerala, 1978 - 84; General Secretary, INTUC, Kerala, 1984 - 93; Director, (i) Cochin International Airport; (ii) Marine Products Export Development Authority; Member of Court, Jawaharlal Nehru University & Pondicherry University, 1987-2001; Office Bearer, INTUC trade unions in (i)Travancore, Titanium Ltd., Trivandrum, (ii) FACT, Udyogamandal; (iii) HMT, Kochi; (iv) Cochin Shipyard; (v) Cochin Port Trust; (vi) H.I.L., Kochi; (vii) I.R.E, Kollam; (viii) All Kerala Retail Ration Dealers Associations; and (ix) Kerala Home Stay and Tourism Society (x) Indira Gandhi Co-operative Hospital, Kochi; (xi) Cochin International Airport Society; (xii) Marine Products Export Development Authority, Kochi; (xiii) Director, Jai Hind TV and 33 years of teaching experience at Sacred Heart College, Kochi in the Department of Chemistry; Professor for 20 years and retired as Head of the Department of Chemistry Awarded Best Tourism Minister by Pacific Asia Travel Writer`s Association (PATWA), 2003 and recognised as Ambassador for Peace by the Universal Peace Federation Inter Religious and International Federation for World Peace, 2005
