Omeo Kumar Das
| Omeo Kumar Das | |
|---|---|
| Born |
21 May 1895 Nagaon, Assam, India |
| Died | 23 January 1975 (aged 79) Guwahati, Assam, India |
| Other names | Amiyo Kumar Das |
| Occupation |
Indian independence activist Social reformer Translator Educationist |
| Known for | Social reforms |
| Spouse(s) | Pushpalata Das |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Omeo Kumar Das (1895–1975), popularly addressed as Lok Nayak, was an Indian social worker, Gandhian, educationist, writer and a former Minister at the Government of Assam. He held various ministerial portfolios such as Education, Labour and Food and Civil Supplies, during various periods, in the state of Assam. He translated The Story of My Experiments with Truth, the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, into Assamese language and contributed to the implementation of Tea Plantation Worker’s Provident Fund in the state. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1963, for his contributions to society.India Post honoured Das by issuing a commemorative stamp on him on 15 May 1998.
Das was born on 25 May 1895 at Nagaon district in the Northeast Indian state of Assam and his schooling was at Tezpur High School, Tezpur. He did his higher education at Cotton College, Guwahati and City College, Calcutta during which time he was reported to have been attracted to the activities of Indian independence activists such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak and started getting involved in student politics. He was one of the leaders of the Civil disobedience movement of 1930 in Assam and was jailed many times during the freedom struggle. He successfully contested the Assam legislative Assembly and the Constituent Assembly elections of 1937 and 1945 respectively and, after the Indian independence, he represented Dhekiajuli Assembly constituency for three consecutive terms, 1951, 57 and 62. During these periods, he served as the minister in various portfolios. It was during his tenure as the Labour minister, the Worker's Provident Fund for the labourers of the tea plantations was instituted, an initiative reported to be among first such instances in Asia. As the minister of Education, his contributions were noted in the implementation of basic education scheme in Assam. He also served as the minister of Food and Civil Supplies for a period of time.
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