Narayan Singh Manaklao profile and biography

Narayan Singh Manaklao of Manaklao village is a former Rajya Sabha member who has spent his life working for the very important social issues - helping opium addicted people and the children affected by polio. The consumption of the opium is a widespread problem in the Western Rajasthan,where it is not considered harmful at all and is used by the people of almost all age groups. On the other hand, children affected from polio are a traumatized lot in the society irrespective of the state and region. Narayan Singh Manaklao promised himself to help opium addicts to stop its consumption and provide educational exposure to the polio affected children. It is very heartening indeed that his dedication and hard work has paid off spectacularly.

Personal profile

Narayan Singh was born in the year 1942 in Manaklao village of Jodhpur. He did his graduation from Jodhpur only. After post graduation he did Ph.D. and He started his career as a professor in the Magadh University in Bihar. He didn't stay there for long though as an inner urge to do something for the people of Marwar brought him back to his birthplace. In 1978 he became Sarpanch of Manaklao Gram Panchayat.

Setting up opium de-addiction camps and centers

In 1978 only, the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had introduced a scheme for poverty alleviation christened as 'Antyoday'. Narayan Singh selected 25 people from his gram panchayat under this scheme. He was hoping that village would produce a result that would serve as a model for other villages. But he was shocked 3 years later when, during an official review, he learned that 17 out of 25 selected villagers were addicted to opium. This startling revelation changed the course of his life and he instantly decided to dedicate himself to help the opium addicted people to stop its consumption.

It was a pretty arduous task and needed a lot of planning. He spoke to a doctor in this regard and started holding 10 day camps in different villages. The beginning was slow but he was happy to see 11 persons quitting use of opium who had attended his first camp. Enthused with the positive outcome, he started holding camps on regular basis. With this purpose, he set up Opium de-addiction center.

Manaklao's efforts for polio affected children

In 1990, one more turning point came to his life when he saw a polio affected person in a dire state. This saddened him very much and he took up the task to empower and give a platform to the children suffering from polio so that they can prove themselves. He soon set up a school for polio affected children. The motive behind setting up this school was to impart free education and vocational training to these children so that they had an opportunity of leading a dignified life on their own. This initiative, 'Sucheta Kriplani Shiksha Niketan', has now developed into a senior secondary residential school for physically challenged children. Many of these students have proved their worth in many national and international sports event meant for the handicapped children.

In recognition to his noble contribution towards society, he was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shree award in 1985 and Padma Bhushan award in 1991. He was nominated the Member of Parliament in 2003.

All Articles on Rajasthan

Narayan Singh Manaklao profile and biography

Personal profile

Setting up opium de-addiction camps and centers

Manaklao's efforts for polio affected children

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