Hari Dev Shourie (1911–2005) was a well-known consumer activist in India.

Biography

Hari Dev Shourie was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

in 1911. He has also served in the Indian Civil Services. He served as Director General at the

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is a leading business school of India. Established in 1963, it works as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India. It also functions as a civil services tr ...

. He founded Common Cause in India) in 1980, a New Delhi based NGO. He also edited the journal published by Common Cause on consumer rights, named "Common Cause", which he started even before Indian people were aware of the concept of Consumer rights. He fought a number of Public Interest Litigations, many of which resulted in Landmark Judgments by the Supreme Court of India. Common Cause (India) has helped lakhs of people in getting justice — for example getting their pensions etc. The Government of India awarded him the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

and the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

, the third and the second highest civilian awards. He was also named on People of the Year by the Limca Book of Records. Common Cause has worked towards probity in public life and integrity of institutions and is dedicated to championing public causes. Common Cause has worked on issues like the 2G spectrum case,

Indian coal allocation scam The Coal allocation scam, dubbed in media as Coalgate, is a major political scandal concerning the Indian government's allocation of the nation's coal deposits to public sector enterprise (PSEs) and private companies. In a draft report issued i ...

Advance healthcare directive An advance healthcare directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, medical directive or advance decision, is a legal document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no ...

, appointment of

Lokpal A Lokpal ( sa, लोकपाल ''lokapāla'', "defender of people" or "People's Friend") is an anti-corruption authority or body of ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India. The current Chairperson of Lokpal is Pra ...

, banning of Professional Blood Donation, etc.

Family

His son is

Arun Shourie Arun Shourie (born 2 November 1941) is an Indian economist, journalist, author and politician. He has worked as an economist with the World Bank, a consultant to the Planning Commission of India, editor of the ''Indian Express'' and ''The Times ...

, former Minister for Communications, IT and Disinvestment and one of India's best known journalists.
Another son is Deepak Shourie, managing director, Discovery Communications India.

Nalini Singh Nalini Singh (born September 01, 1945) is an Indian journalist. She has been the anchor for several current affairs programs on Doordarshan, and is most known for her program, 'Aankhon Dekhi', on investigative journalism. She had made another ...

, TV journalist-anchor and managing director, TV Live India Pvt Ltd.is his daughter.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shourie, Hari Dev 1911 births 2005 deaths Indian human rights activists Consumer rights activists Consumer protection in India Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work