He was a member of the
Indian National Congress and served as a member of the
Orissa Legislative Assembly from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1946 to 1952. When Orissa was granted provincial autonomy as per the
Government of India Act 1935, Kanungo served as the Minister for Revenue and Public Works Departments in the cabinet of
Bishwanath Das from 1937 to 1939. He was again appointed a Minister in 1946 and served till 1952, looking after the Home, Law, Industries and Agriculture portfolios. In 1952, Kanungo was elected to the
Lok Sabha from the
Kendrapara constituency. In September, 1954 he was appointed Union Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry. From August 1955 in Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet; he was Union Minister of Industries, and in June 1956 was designated Union Minister of Consumer Industries. In 1957, he was again returned to the Lok Sabha and was appointed Union Minister of Commerce. Kanungo was a member of the Indian Delegation to the International Labour Conference in San Francisco (1948) and was the Leader of the Delegation to the Conference of the International Rice Commission held in
Jakarta in 1952. from 7 December 1967 to 20 January 1971. ==See also==