Ramesh Pokhriyal (born 15 July 1959),known by his nom de plume Nishank is an Indian politician serving as the Minister of Human Resource Development in the Second Modi ministry. He represents the Haridwar Parliamentary constituency of Uttarakhand in the 17th Lok Sabha.
Pokhriyal was born in Pinani village, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand to Paramanand Pokhriyal and Vishambhari Devi. He claimed to have received an M.A. degree from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University.[3][4][5]

Pokhriyal married Kusum Kanta Pokhriyal on 7 May 1985, with whom he has three daughters. One of their daughters, Arushi Nishank is a classical dancer. His wife died on 11 November 2012 in Dehradun at the age of 50.

Literary career
Pokhriyal has written novels, stories and poems. He has authored 44 books in Hindi, some of which have been translated to English as well as other Indian languages. They have been described by some critics and literature connoisseurs as "heavy on patriotism, light on literary quality". Most of his books were published by two private publishers – Vani Prakashan and Diamond Books, and many were published between 2009 and 2011, when he was chief minister of Uttarakhand.