Ravishankar Prasad is the new Communications and IT minister in Modi's cabinet

Ravishankar Prasad, one of the most articulate BJP leaders and a familiar face in TV debates, returns to the union cabinet with a bagful of experience having been in charge of various portfolios for four years under Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, he will the heading the Communications and IT ministry, along with the Law and Justice portfolio. Here's the full list of the new cabinet minsters. Prasad was made Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines in 2000 in the Vajpayee ministry and was given additional charge as MOS of Law and Justice in July 2002. He was credited with speeding up the process of fast-track courts. Later, as a minister of Information and Broadcasting in NDA rule, he began reforms in radio, television and animation sections. He is also credited with establising Goa as the permanent site for International Film Festival of India. Born on August 30, 1954, Prasad did his graduation and obtained masters in Political Science and LLB degree from Patna University. He started off as a student leader in 1970s organising protests against Indira Gandhi’s government. He took an active part in 1974 JP movement and was jailed during the Emergency. He began his political career as a fiery student leader in Patna University under the leadership of Lalu Prasad, who was then its general secretary but it was natural for him to turn to BJP as his father Thakur Prasad, himself a prominent lawyer, was one of the founding members of Jan Sangh. During his college days, he was Assistant General Secretary of Patna University Students Union with Lalu Prasad as the President. Practising law at Patna High Court since 1980, he was designated senior advocate at Patna High Court in 1999 and senior advocate of the Supreme Court in 2000. In BJP’s 10-year spell out of power since 2004, Ravishankar Prasad has been its prominent public face of the party, articulating its stand on key issues as its main spokesperson for many years. With inputs from PTI