A special meeting of the Union Cabinet was  held to condole the demise of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who passed away yesterday. The Cabinet expressed profound sorrow at the sad demise of the Minister. In a resolution,  the Cabinet noted that in his passing away, the Nation has lost an experienced leader.<br />''<br />''In his long political career, he had earlier held the portfolios of Union Minister of Tourism, Culture; Youth Affairs and Sports; Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development.<br />''<br />''He became the youngest minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee Cabinet and was the Civil Aviation Minister.  He had also been Chairman and member of several Parliamentary Committees.<br />''<br />''The Cabinet extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the Government and the entire nation. The Cabinet observed two-minute silence in his memory.<br />''<b> </b><br />''<br />