Former minister and sitting Lok Sabha MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur Anurag Singh Thakur was on Wednesday honoured with Sansad Ratna Award.The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel — which Thakur chairs — also received the award for rigorous research and contribution.At the 16th edition of the awards held at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi, the committee received a special recognition in the category of ‘Highest in the Original Reports presented.’It is one of only four parliamentary committees from both Houses of Parliament selected for this major national honour this year.Thakur dedicated the award to his committee members and staff of the committee secretariat.Under Thakur, the Coal, Mines and Steel Committee has demonstrated high productivity, convening 64 meetings and presenting 29 comprehensive reports since June 2024. These reports address strategic sectors critical to India’s long-term economic and infrastructural resilience, including securing critical mineral supply chains through KABIL, accelerating domestic mineral exploration, increasing production of washed coal, promoting ‘self-reliance’ in the steel sector, and reviewing the effective implementation of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Fund and the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) to support the journey towards a ‘Developed India.’Thakur’s leadership of the committee draws upon his extensive administrative experience as a Union Minister overseeing key ministries during his five-year tenure. In addition to heading the Coal, Mines and Steel panel, his current parliamentary responsibilities include serving on the Public Accounts Committee and the Consultative Committee on Power.He is also contributing to important legislative bodies, including the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation One Election’, the JPC on the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill, and the JPC on the Vikasit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.On the international front, Anurag Thakur currently serves as Chairman of the India-European Union Parliamentary Friendship Group.For his early contributions to public policy, he received the Best Young Parliamentarian Award in 2011, and in 2014 he was named a ‘Young Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum, earning global recognition.