Agencies, New Delhi

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari took charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways here on Tuesday.

He also holds the portfolio of the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Earlier, he was Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in the previous government.

Mr Gadkari is a member of Lok Sabha since May, 2014. He was earlier a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council during 1989-2014. He was Minister for PWD in Maharashtra Government during 1995 to 1999.

He entered politics as a student leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad and later joined the Janata Yuva Morcha, youth wing of the BJP. He does not consider himself to be a career politician but takes politics to be social service – initiating projects for the poor, for the society and the downtrodden.