Digamber Singh

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Dr. Digamber Singh (1 October 1951 – 27 October 2017) was an Indian doctor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician from Rajasthan. Born in Barkhera Faujdar, Bharatpur, he trained as a medical doctor, ran a private hospital in Bharatpur, and entered politics in the late 1980s.

He was elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Kumher in 1993 and served multiple terms, including after the Kumher seat was renamed Deeg-Kumher following delimitation in 2008. Singh held several key ministries in the Rajasthan government. From 2003 to 2008, he was the Minister of Health and Family Welfare. In 2009 he became the Industries Minister, a position he held during the next term. In 2015 he was appointed Chairman of the Twenty Point Programme, with cabinet status and oversight of several ministries, including Panchayati Raj, Social Justice, Law and Agriculture. He was known as a strong Jat leader in eastern Rajasthan and a prominent BJP figure in the region. He also helped push development projects like opening government health facilities at the panchayat level and advancing health collaborations, such as the Rajasthan-Norway program to modernize health services and fight polio. In 2016 he approved plans for a medical college in Sikar district (to be established by 2018).

Singh was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015–2016 and underwent treatment in the United States and Singapore. He returned to India and continued public duties until late 2017. He died on 27 October 2017 in Jaipur at age 66, after a battle with cancer. His death was mourned by supporters and his party, and a state funeral with full honours was held in Bharatpur.

He and his wife, Asha Singh, had two children, Shilpi and Shailesh. His son Shailesh contested the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly election from Deeg-Kumher and later became President of BJP Bharatpur in 2019. The Dr. Digamber Singh Pro Kabaddi Tournament, started in 2017, reflects his support for rural sports. A statue in his memory was erected in Bharatpur in 2018 as part of his lasting legacy.