Former BCCI President and Union Minister NKP Salve passed away in New Delhi

Former BCCI president and former Union Minister NKP Salve passed away on 1 April 2012 in New Delhi.

Salve was associated with cricket administration for several years. He was the president of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, one of the affiliates of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India, from 1967 to 1977. Salve had succeeded Barrister S.K. Wankhede as BCCI president in 1982. NKP Salve had been the president of the BCCI when India won the World Cup in 1983. He is also credited with helping India and Pakistan win rights to hosting the 1987 World Cup. The Challenger Trophy, an annual one-day tournament organised by the BCCI, was named after him.

Born in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh on 18 March 1921, he was a chartered accountant, with an active practice from 1949 to 1982. He was considered an authority on direct taxes. He, however, gave up active practice after joining the central cabinet in 1982.

Apart from being a cricket administrator, Salve was also a politician and intellectual.  He was a strong votary of separate state of Vidarbha to be carved out of Maharashtra. He and another Congress veteran, Vasant Sathe, had even floated a group to press for the demand.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1967 and was in the house till 1977. Thereafter he was elected to the Rajya Sabha for four terms (1978 to 2002). As a Congressman, he first represented Betul LS constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He served in successive Union Cabinets of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao.

As MP, Salve represented the government in various forums and conferences. He was deputy leader of the Congress in parliament under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1980-82 and later when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister (1984-89).
Salve was a minister of state (information and broadcasting) in 1982-83, an independent minister of state in charge of steel and mines in 1983-84, and minister of state for parliamentary affairs in 1984. Salve served as a cabinet minister (power) from January 1993 to May 1996. During his tenure he led the participation of private investors in the power sector.

He headed the joint parliamentary committee on taxation laws in 1975 and was appointed chairman (with cabinet rank) of the 9th Finance Commission.

He was chairman of the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha from 1975 to 1977.