He is former member of Rajya Sabha, a former minister in the Government of India, and a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He proposed the development of AIIMS hospital Patna in central government and got it approved.

[2] As a physician, Thakur did extensive research for the treatment of Kala-azar.

In 2017, he became the first Indian medical scientist to receive a lifetime achievement award from the World Health Organization.

He has held the following government positions: He has also published more than 100 research papers in medical journals and more than 200 articles in the press.