Former Union Minister Raghunath Jha died on Monday morning at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi due to multiple health problems, doctors said. He was 79.

"He died at 3.10 a.m. due to various health issues including organ failures, cardiac arrest and sceptic shock," a hospital official told.

Jha was admitted to the RML Hospital on January 13. He was in the Intensive Care Unit. The body has been handed over to the family, the official said.

Born on August 9, 1939, Jha was Union minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise in the UPA government led by the Congress. He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha.

He represented Bettiah constituency of Bihar and was a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). He quit the party in September 2015.