Chaudhary Charan Singh was an influential agrarian reformer, economist, and the 5th Prime Minister of India. He dedicated his political and academic life to championing the peasant economy, structuring peasant-led cooperative marketing networks, and enacting historic land reform laws across Northern India.
- December 23, 1902 – May 29, 1987
- Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.): Agra College (1923)
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in History: Agra College (1925)
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.): Agra University (1926)
- Place of Origin: Born in Noorpur, Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh.
- Spouse: Gayatri Devi.
- Children: Five children, including Ajit Singh (former Union Cabinet Minister).
- Key architect of the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Land Development Bank
- Chief Patron of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and regional primary credit unions
- Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (1967, 1970); Union Minister for Finance and Home Affairs; Prime Minister of India (1979–1980)
- Abolition of Zamindari & Land Ownership: Drafted and enacted the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act (1950), transferring land ownership to millions of tenant farmers and providing the legal foundation for primary credit co-ops.
- Peasant-Centric Capital Formation: Championed credit and marketing cooperatives to ensure that state budget allocations directly favored rural agricultural infrastructure, irrigation societies, and farm machinery pools over heavy urban industries.
- Joint Farming X-Rayed: The Problem and Its Solution (1959)
- India's Poverty and Its Solution (1959)
- Economic Nightmare of India: Its Cause and Cure (1981)
- Bharat Ratna (2024): Conferred posthumously by the Government of India for distinguished contributions to agriculture and public service.
- National Farmers' Day (Kisan Diwas): Celebrated annually across India on his birth anniversary (December 23).