ZAHIDI, SHRI KHAN GHUFRAN :

ZAHIDI, SHRI KHAN GHUFRAN :

M.A. (Economics); I.N.C. (Uttar Pradesh); s. of late Shri Riaz Ahmad Khan and late Shrimati Azizan Khanam; b. at Etah (U.P.), July 20, 1934; ed. at (i) Government College, Gonda, (ii) Government College, Etawah, (iii) Christ Church College, Kanpur and (iv) Agra University, Agra; m. Shrimati Akhtar Jahan Zahidi, June, 1966; 1 s.

Journalist and Social Worker; was a Boy Scout and athlete with distinction; was involved in adult education work, setting up of eye camps for the poor, slum clearance and improvement of slum dwellers in and around Kanpur during 1957-67; gave talks on A.I.R. on important topics like family planning, Twenty-Point Programme, national integration, communalism, socio-economic upliftment of Indian Muslims, secular government, Non-Alignment, Indo-Pak relations, Simla Pact, etc.; was President, (i) Hostel Union, Government High School, Gonda, 1947-51, (ii) Kanpur Press Club (twice), 1973-75, (iii) All India Urdu Editors' Conference, 1976, (iv) Bidi Mazdoor Federation, U.P., 1977-78, (v) Jigar Academy, Kanpur,1980, (vi) U.P. Congress Minority Cell, (vii) Maulana Mohd. Ali Jauhar Academy, U.P., 1980 and (viii) Urdu Academy, U.P., July 29, 1993 to January 11, 1995; Vice-President, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee; Chairman, (i) Maulana Ahmed Hussain Madni, Unani Medical College, Kanpur, 1975, (ii) Housing Board, U.P. for about five years since 1984, (iii) Recognition Committee and Chief of the Board of High School and Intermediate, U.P., (iv) Anti-Corruption Sub-Committee, Intermediate Board, U.P., 1982-84, (v) Committee on Public Undertakings, U.P. Legislative Assembly, 1982-84 and (vi) Disciplinary Committee, P.C.C., U.P.; Vice-Chairman, State National Integration Council, U.P., 1982 to March 1995; General Secretary, Congress (I) Vidhan Mandal Dal, Uttar Pradesh; Convener, Sampradayikta Virodhi Committee, Allahabad Division, 1973-74; Founder, U.P. Advertising Club, Kanpur, 1968; Founder Member, (i) Patrakar Sahayata Kosh Samiti, U.P., (ii) Press Club, Kanpur, 1972 and (iii) Small and Medium Newspaper Association, Delhi, 1972; Founder Executive Member, Mohammadia Hospital Society, Kanpur since 1980; Founder and Life Executive Member, Hasrat Mohani Charitable Hospital, Kanpur, 1980; Executive Advisor, Parade Bazar Dukandar Committee, 1980; Member, (i) Editoral Board of "The College Times", a Journal from the Christ Church College, Kanpur, 1951-57, (ii) Executive Council, Kanpur University, Kanpur 1970-86, (iii) Executive Council, Aligarh Muslim University since June, 1986, (iv) Press Accreditation Committee, U.P., 1979-81, (v) Advertising Mannyata Committee, U.P., 1981-82, (vi) Urdu and Press Advisory Committee, U.P., 1981-82, (vii) Standing Committee of All India Newspapers Editors' Conference, 1957-67, (viii) Press Party of the President of India which visited Jakarta (Indonesia) in 1975, (ix) Central Leather Research Institute Advisory Committee, 1981-82, (x) Bidi Udyog Advisory Committee, U.P., 1982, (xi) All India Congress Committee, (xii) Disciplinary Action Committee, U.P.C.C., (xiii) State Planning Commission, 1984, (xiv) Executive Advisory Committee Export Promotion, Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1981, (xv) Committee on Government Assurances, U.P. Legislative Assembly, 1979-80, (xvi) State Haj Committee, (xvii) Public Accounts Committee, U.P. Legislative Assembly, 1981-82, (xviii) Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh (thrice), (xix) Court of Aligarh Muslim University, (xx) Committee on Urban and Rural Development, 1997, (xxi) Committee on Human Resour Development, (xxii) Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Civil Aviation,1997 and (xxiii) Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment; nominated to Speaker's Panel of the U.P. Assembly; completed about 1000 hours as Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly;Cabinet Minister of Housing, Uttar Pradesh, 1989; elected to the Rajya Sabha in November, 1996 and re-elected in July,1998.

Travels abroad : South East Asia and Middle East.

Publications : Editor, Printer and Publisher, (i) `Daily Siyasat Jadid', a daily of Northern India, 1958-83 and (ii) `Dainik Hindi Siyasat', 1992-93; contributed articles and stories in newspapers and magazines.

Special interest : Social work, literature andsports.

Favourite pastime and recreation : Reading and discussion on social topics.

Permanent address : (i) 9 A, Triloki Nath Road, (Opp. Naini Tal Bank), Hazratganj, Lucknow (U.P.), Phone: 212207, 217742, (ii) 74 Kheldar, District Fatehpur (U.P.), Phone: 84625,83347 and (iii) 105/184, Chamangang, Kanpur (U.P.), Phone: 546268.