Dhan Singh Rawat was born in a hamlet in
Pauri Garhwal and educated at the village school. He earned master's and doctoral degrees from
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in History. A party secretary for the BJP in Uttarakhand, he failed to gain election to the state legislature in 2012 in the constituency of
Srinagar Garhwal; and has since served as a Cabinet Minister with responsibility for health, higher education, cooperatives, disaster management, dairy development and protocols. == Controversy ==