Amrit Kaur: Difference between revisions
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==Post-independence== |
==Post-independence== |
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After India’s independence, Amrit Kaur became part of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]'s first [[Cabinet of India|Cabinet]]; she was the first woman to hold Cabinet rank. She was assigned the Ministry of Health, and was the only Indian Christian in the Cabinet. She was also elected the president of World Health Assembly in [[1950]], a position held by only two women in the first 25 years of the [[World Health Organization|WHO]]’s history. She was also the moving force behind the institution of the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] in [[New Delhi]] |
After India’s independence, Amrit Kaur became part of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]'s first [[Cabinet of India|Cabinet]]; she was the first woman to hold Cabinet rank. She was assigned the Ministry of Health, and was the only Indian Christian in the Cabinet. She was also elected the president of World Health Assembly in [[1950]], a position held by only two women in the first 25 years of the [[World Health Organization|WHO]]’s history. She was also the moving force behind the institution of the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] in [[New Delhi]]. |
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She retained her position as Minister for Health from 1947 to 1957, after which she retired from ministerial activity but remained a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] until her death on the 2nd February, 1964. |
She retained her position as Minister for Health from 1947 to 1957, after which she retired from ministerial activity but remained a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] until her death on the 2nd February, 1964. |
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Revision as of 07:53, 3 September 2006
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (2nd February 1889, Lucknow – 2nd February 1964) was the first female Indian Cabinet Minister. She was born into the princely family of Kapurthala of undivided India and became an eminent Gandhian, social activist and freedom fighter.
Pre-independence
Her father was Raja Sir Harman Singh, the last ruling prince of Kapurthala in the Punjab. She was educated at Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset, and later at Oxford. Upon returning to India she attached herself to Mahatma Gandhi during the first Non-Cooperation Movement and, for the next sixteen years, acted as his secretary. During this period she was one of the founding members and administered the All India Women's Conference, which was subsequently headed by Sarojini Naidu, and played a crucial role in the recommendation of welfare legislation to the Government as well as at the Round Table Conferences. She was prominent in the Indian National Congress and was arrested and jailed twice, the second time during the Quit India Movement of 1942.
Post-independence
After India’s independence, Amrit Kaur became part of Jawaharlal Nehru's first Cabinet; she was the first woman to hold Cabinet rank. She was assigned the Ministry of Health, and was the only Indian Christian in the Cabinet. She was also elected the president of World Health Assembly in 1950, a position held by only two women in the first 25 years of the WHO’s history. She was also the moving force behind the institution of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
She retained her position as Minister for Health from 1947 to 1957, after which she retired from ministerial activity but remained a member of the Rajya Sabha until her death on the 2nd February, 1964.
Further reading
- India’s 50 Most Illustrious Women (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta
External link
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