Ram Subhag Singh

Ram Subhag Singh
Ram Subhag Singh in 1967
Minister of State for Food and Agriculture
In office 08 May 1962 - 8 June 1964
Prime Minister	Jawahar Lal Nehru
Constituency	Bikramganj
Minister of State for Railways
In office 14 June 1964 - 12 March 1967
Prime Minister	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Constituency	Bikramganj
Minister of Social Security and Cottage Industries
In office 09 June 1964 - 13 June 1964
Prime Minister	Lal Bahadur Shastri
Preceded by	Nityanand Kanungo
Succeeded by	H.C. Dasappa
Constituency	Bikramganj
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
In office 13 March 1967 - 14 February 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Satya Narayan Sinha
Succeeded by	Kotha Raghuramaiah
Constituency	Buxar
Minister of Communications and Information Technology
In office 13 March 1967 - 14 February 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Satya Narayan Sinha
Succeeded by	Satya Narayan Sinha
Constituency	Buxar
Minister of Railways
In office 14 February 1969 - 4 November 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	C. M. Poonacha
Succeeded by	Panampilli Govinda Menon
Constituency	Buxar
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha
In office 17 December 1969 - 27 December 1970
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Yashwantrao Chavan
Constituency	Buxar
Personal details
Born	Ram Subhag Singh (1917-07-07)7 July 1917 Khajuria, Dhamar Post, Bhojpur district, Bihar and Orissa Province, British India (present-day Bihar, India)
Died	16 December 1980(1980-12-16) (aged 63) New Delhi, Delhi, India
Cause of death	Heart Attack
Resting place	Nigam Bodh Ghat, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Citizenship	Indian
Party	Indian National Congress (Organisation) (from 1969)
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress
Education	Town School, Arrah, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith and Varanasi
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Occupation	Freedom Fighter, Politician
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Ram Subhag Singh (7 July 1917 – 16 December 1980)^[1] was an Indian politician who was a member of the Indian National Congress. He served as a member of the 3rd and 4th Lok Sabha for Bikramganj and Buxar in the Bihar state of India in 1962 and 1967, respectively. After the split in the Congress party in 1969, he stayed with the Indian National Congress (Organisation). He was first leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha in 1969. He participated in the Indian independence movement. He was a cabinet minister in the Union Government led by the Congress party.

Singh was born in July 1917 in Bhojpur district of the Bihar State in India. He undertook his primary education at the Government Town School, Ara Bihar, and his secondary education at Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Singh went to the University of Missouri for completing his Ph.D. degree in journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism.

He participated in 1942 Quit India Movement along with Mahatma Gandhi. He was close aide of Jawahar Lal Nehru and he fought Parliamentary Election in 1952 from Sasaram Constituency of Bihar State and elected as Member of Parliament in First Loksabha. In 1957 he again got elected to Parliament from same constituency. In 1962 he won parliamentary seat of Bikramganj constituency in Bihar. In 1967 he fought the general election for the Buxar constituency and was elected to parliament for a 4th time.

During his tenure as Minister of Railways from February to November 1969, Ram Subhag Singh proposed and initiated the Rajdhani Express service, India's first high-speed, fully air-conditioned premium train aimed at connecting the national capital to major cities like Kolkata. On February 19, 1969, Singh announced the introduction of the Rajdhani in his railway budget speech, emphasizing faster travel with onboard catering and reduced journey times. The inaugural Howrah Rajdhani Express departed from New Delhi on March 1, 1969, covering the 1,451 km distance to Howrah in approximately 17 hours at an average speed of 85 km/h, marking a significant upgrade in long-distance rail efficiency.

This initiative laid the foundation for subsequent Rajdhani expansions, prioritizing air-conditioned coaches, priority scheduling, and integrated services to enhance passenger comfort and national connectivity, though implementation faced logistical challenges like track upgrades. Earlier, as Minister of State for Food and Agriculture from May 1962 to June 1964, Singh contributed to parliamentary discussions on agricultural expansion, including afforestation targets that achieved 87,072 acres planted in 1961-62 with plans for 101,646 acres the following year, supporting broader food security efforts amid India's post-independence planning. His roles underscored a focus on infrastructural and productive sector reforms, though specific quantifiable outcomes beyond these announcements remain tied to collective governmental efforts.^[1]

• Member of the Central Legislature for over 22 years consecutively.
• Member of Parliament, 1948–1952.
• Provisional Parliament, 1950–1952.
• Member of Parliament, 1952–1957.
• Agriculturist and Journalist; President, Shahabad District Canal (Nahar) Kisan Congress, 1952–1955.
• Member of Parliament, 1957–1962.
• Secretary, Congress party in Parliament, 1955–1962.
• Union Minister of State for Food and Agriculture, 1962–1964.
• Union Minister of Social Security & Cottage Industries, 9 June 1964 – 13 June 1964.
• Union Minister of State for Railways, 1964–1967.
• Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, 1967–1969.
• Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, 1967–1969.
• Union Minister of Railways, 14 February 1969 – 4 November 1969.
• He was India's first Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha from 1969–1970.

Lok Sabha