Shripad Yesso Naik (born 4 October 1952) is an Indian politician who has served as a member of parliament from North Goa constituency, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party. He's held the role since 1999. He is currently Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy,www.tribuneindia.com and previously held a number of other ministerial positions.
He was named Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of AYUSH in 2014. He was appointed Minister of State for Defence in 2019. He was also the union minister of state for Health and Family Welfare and the minister of state for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India, (in Second Modi ministry).
Early life Shripad Yesso Naik was born on 4 October 1952 in Adpai, Portuguese Goa.
Political career Parliament In 1999, Naik was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha from North Goa constituency. He has held his seat in this constituency consistently, winning in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he won with a margin of 105,000 votes.Election Results 2014: BJP Wins Both Lok Sabha Seats in Goa | NDTV.comBJP wins both LS seats in Goa – Livemint
In 2024, he was also a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from North Goa for the sixth time in a row.ndtv.com
Minister roles
Further, as advised by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President appointed Naik as Minister for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) in the 16th Lok Sabha. He was one of probable candidates for Goa CM while Manohar Parrikar made as Union/Central minister.
Naik was appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, on 9 November 2014.Shripad Naik takes charge as Minister for Yoga and Traditional Medicine On 25 March 2016, Naik publicly stated he had access to research which proved that diseases such as cancer could be cured by yoga. He further stated that his Ministry was a year away from granting an endorsement to such techniques and research.Research Shows Cancer Can Be Cured By Yoga, Claims Minister Shripad Naik. NDTV. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2019. The statement was challenged by medical researchers, scholars and doctors, who advocated caution in claiming a cure to cancer on the basis of unproven and unpublished research with no scientific evidence.
Naik continued as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH and was appointed Minister of State for Defence on 31 May 2019.
In July 2021, he was named Union Minister of State for Tourism and Ports, Shipping and Waterways, which he was until June 5, 2024.
In June 2024,heraldgoa.in he was appointed Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy.indiatimes.comtribuneindia.com At the FICCI Green Hydrogen Summit in 2025, he stated India aimed to capture close to 10% of global green hydrogen demand.thehindu.com
Awards Naik received the Samaraj Ratna Award on 18 August 2016.
2021 car accident Naik was in an accident on the evening of 11 January 2021 in Ankola, Karnataka. His car driver was traveling en route from Yellapur to Gokarna when they were reported to have lost control at the wheel on the ghat section, causing the car to go turtle into a ditch. Due to the accident, Naik's wife and his personal secretary suffered grievous injuries, and died while undergoing treatment in the hospital. Naik was severely injured.
References
External links
Detailed Profile: Shripad Yesso Naik in india.gov.in website