Patels father, Manoharbhai Patel, was also a politician who had served as an MLA in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Gondia constituency.When Praful Patel was only 13 years old, his father passed away.Praful is also a businessman; he owns his family business of tobacco & bidi making. He has also shown interests in pharmaceuticals, finance, real estate, packaging, etc. Later, he also headed the Ceejay House, a company trading in tobacco.The Patel family also runs the Gondia Education Society, an organisation founded by his father in 1958 in Gondia District of Maharashtra. The organisation imparts education to more than 1 lakh students in all disciplines ranging from Arts, Commerce, Law, Engineering, Information Technology, Pharmacy, Computer Sciences, etc. The premises of Gondia Education Society.When he was the Minister of Civil Aviation, he convinced the government to increase the foreign direct investment cap in the domestic airlines sector from 40% to 49%.Patel has also been associated with sports. He has also rendered his services to Gondwana Club, Nagpur Lions International Club, served as the Gondia Football President of the All India Football Federation, Cricket Club Mumbai, and Mumbai Cricket Association, Mumbai.Patel was instrumental in making AIFF (All India Football Federation) introduce the Indian Super League. Praful Patel, Nita Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood actors at the inauguration of ISL.Patel was bestowed with the title of Reformer of the Year by The Economic Times..In October 2009, he was made the President of AIFF for the first time.In 2011, when he was the Minister of Heavy Industry, he launched a project to build the worlds largest solar power plant near Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan. He also inaugurated the Auto Hub in Nagpur.