Ram Mohan Naidu: Redefining Leadership, Democratizing the Skies

At a time when the world faces crises from climate change to conflict, I hope to advance bold, inclusive solutions

Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, the 36-year-old Cabinet Minister of India and the Union Minister of Civil Aviation and a member of parliament in Srikakulam, is redefining leadership. Naidu won the Srikakulam Lok Sabha seat three times since 2014, and won by a massive margin of 327,901 votes in 2024, representing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). His political career started when his father, the late Union Minister K. Yerran Naidu, was killed in an accident in 2012, and he was forced into the world of politics at 26.

Since June 2024, Naidu, as Civil Aviation Minister, has been working to democratize air travel, increase safety, and modernize infrastructure. He promotes initiatives such as UDAN, increasing connectivity to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and expects to finish Bhogapuram airport by December 2025. “My priority is to create an ease-of-flying scenario, making air travel accessible to the common man,” he stated. His innovative approach includes promoting Digi Yatra for seamless airport experiences and addressing airline duopoly concerns to foster competition.

In 2020, Naidu was honored with the Sansad Ratna Award due to his efforts in parliament, such as his campaign on the health of menstruation and the GST on the sale of sanitary pads. He is a Long Island University MBA graduate with a Purdue degree in engineering, balancing international outlook and local dedication. Naidu, who was recently granted a front-row seat in Parliament with PM Narendra Modi, promises an India with a vibrant future in the aviation and political arena.