Smt. Meira KumarINC, Sasaram (SC), Bihar
Hon'ble Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment
Address : D-1029, New Friends Colony New Delhi - 110065
Phone No. 91-11-26910618, 26910639
Date of Birth : 31st March, 1945
Family Details:
Married to Manjul Kumar, Advocate Supreme Court of India
Son Anshul, daughter-in-law Monica, grand daughter Anahita
Daughter Swati, son-in-law Ranjit, grand daughter Amrita
Daughter Devangna
Family History :
Only daughter and surviving child of late Babu Jagjivan Ram, freedom fighter, crusader for social justice and Deputy Prime Minister. As India's longest serving Cabinet Minister, he was responsible for the Green Revolution and for India's historic victory in the 1971 war. His uninterrupted Parliamentary career spans half a century and is a world record
Mother, late lndrani Devi, freedom fighter, social worker and author of many books
Education :
Senior Cambridge
B.A., LLB, M.A. (English)
Advanced Diploma in Spanish
Language :
Proficient in English, Spanish, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bhojpuri
Indian Foreign Service :
Joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973
Served in the Embassy of India, Madrid, Spain,High Commission of India, London, U.K. and Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi in various capacities
Member, Indo-Mauritius joint Commission to Mauritius, 1984
Member, Official delegation accompanying the President of India on State visit to Mauritius, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and Yemen Arab Republic, 1984
Date of Birth : 31st March, 1945
Family Details:
Married to Manjul Kumar, Advocate Supreme Court of India
Son Anshul, daughter-in-law Monica, grand daughter Anahita
Daughter Swati, son-in-law Ranjit, grand daughter Amrita
Daughter Devangna
Family History :
Only daughter and surviving child of late Babu Jagjivan Ram, freedom fighter, crusader for social justice and Deputy Prime Minister. As India's longest serving Cabinet Minister, he was responsible for the Green Revolution and for India's historic victory in the 1971 war. His uninterrupted Parliamentary career spans half a century and is a world record
Mother, late lndrani Devi, freedom fighter, social worker and author of many books
Education :
Senior Cambridge
B.A., LLB, M.A. (English)
Advanced Diploma in Spanish
Language :
Proficient in English, Spanish, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bhojpuri
Indian Foreign Service :
Joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973
Served in the Embassy of India, Madrid, Spain,High Commission of India, London, U.K. and Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi in various capacities
Member, Indo-Mauritius joint Commission to Mauritius, 1984
Member, Official delegation accompanying the President of India on State visit to Mauritius, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and Yemen Arab Republic, 1984
Parliamentary Career :
In November 1985, Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi requested her father to permit her to contest election as Congress candidate. He agreed and she resigned from the IFS to contest the Lok Sabha bye-election from Bijnor, UP
Member of Parliament (Congress), 8th Lok Sabha (House of People), from Bijnor, U.P.
Member of Parliament (Congress), 11th Lok Sabha from Karol Bagh, Delhi. She was one of the only two candidates to win in Delhi
Member of Parliament (Congress), 12th Lok Sabha from Karol Bagh, Delhi. She was the only candidate to win in Delhi
Member of Parliament (Congress) 14th Lok Sabha from Sasaram, Bihar (Her father's constituency for 50 years). She won with the highest margin in Bihar
She took charge as Cabinet Minister in May 2004
She is one of the few leaders in the country to win Lok Sabha elections from three different States
Member, Indian Parliamentary Group
Member, Inter Parliamentry Union
Congress Party Responsibilities :
General Secretary, All India Congress Committee, 1991-92, 1996-99
Member, AICC Committee for a year long celebrations to mark Mahatma Gandhi's l25th Birth Anniversary
Member, Congress Working Committee, 1991-2000, 2002-2004
Delegations Abroad :
Leader, Indian Non-Government delegation, to United Nations Preparatory Committee Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Geneva, May 2000
Member, all Party delegation of MPs, to Conference on Towards Detente in the sub- continent, Islamabad, Pakistan, 1999
Chief speaker, Golden Jubilee Celebration of India's Independence, University of Hull, England, 1997
Leader, Congress Party delegation. to POSSAC Conference, Athens Greece, 1996
Leader, Congress Party delegation, to World Conference on Solidarity with Cuba, Havana, 1994
Leader, Congress Party delegation to inaugurate Indian National Congress of America, San Francisco, 1994
Member, Government of India delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, New York, USA, 1994
Member, Congress Party delegation to Mauritius for MMM (the ruling party) Conference, 1993
Chief Speaker, Guru Ravidas Birth Anniversary celebrations, U.K. 1993
Leader, Indian delegation to Detroit, USA for Conference on Democracy, 1989
Leader, Congress Party delegation to Sweden for Socialist International Women Conference, 1989
Participant, Inter-Parliamentary Conference, Bulgaria, 1987
Member, Congress Party delegation to Mauritius for MMM (the ruling party) Conference, 1987
Social and Cultural Activities :
As Chairperson National Drought Relief Committee of the Congress Party during the century's worst drought in 1967, successfully launched a Family Adoption Scheme in which drought-affected families were adopted by affluent families
Being committed to social justice and abolition of the caste system, visited places where atrocities were committed against Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward communities. Has held meetings, demonstrations, courted arrest and filed Public Interest Litigations in the Supreme Court to ensure justice. In the mass killing of dalits in Kumher in 1992, her organization, the Samta Movement, filed a PIL against the Govt. of Rajasthan and won. It was the fIrst time that a voluntary organization had filed a PIL against a State Govt. in a dalit atrocity case
Founder President, All India Samta Movement from 1990
President, Ravidas Smarak Society, Varanasi from 2000
Chairperson, Meera Kala Mandir, Udaipur from 2000
Chairperson, Jagjivan Ram Sanatorium Dehri- on-Sone from 2000
President, J agji van Seva Ashram, Sasaram from 2000
Vice-Chairperson, Rajendra Bhawan Trust, Delhi, from 1987
Member, Supreme Court Bar Association, from 1986
Managing Trustee, Jagjivan Ashram Trust, Delhi, 1985-2004
President, RVAKV Society Delhi (institution for blind girls), 1992-98
Member, Senate Punjab University, 1987-91
Member, Senate Bihar University, 1969-71
Member, Governing Body, Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR), 1987-92
Special Interests :
Editor, "Pavan Prasad", a monthly magazine on sociology and literature 1969-1993
Writing poems in Hindi, many of which have been published
Reading
Indian Classical Music and Dance
Rifle shooting
Equestrian
Preservation of the cultural heritage .Indian crafts, especially textiles
Meira Kumar (born March 31, 1945 is an Indian politician and Member of Parliament. She was elected as the first woman speaker of Lok Sabha on the 3rd of June 2009. She is a lawyer and a former diplomat.
Meira Kumar was born in Patna to the former Deputy Prime Minister and prominent dalit leader, Babu Jagjivan Ram and freedom fighter, Indrani Devi.
She did her M.A., LL.B, Educated at Indraprastha College and Miranda House, Delhi
She did her M.A., LL.B, Educated at Indraprastha College and Miranda House, Delhi
Foreign Service
In 1973, she joined the Indian Foreign Service and served at embassies in Spain, United Kingdom and Mauritius. She also served as a member of the India-Mauritius Joint Commission. While serving for IFS, she also worked in Embassy of India, Madrid from 1976 to 77. she was the High Commision of India, London from 1977 to 79 and Ministry of External Affairs during 1980-85.
In 1973, she joined the Indian Foreign Service and served at embassies in Spain, United Kingdom and Mauritius. She also served as a member of the India-Mauritius Joint Commission. While serving for IFS, she also worked in Embassy of India, Madrid from 1976 to 77. she was the High Commision of India, London from 1977 to 79 and Ministry of External Affairs during 1980-85.
Personal life
Meira Kumar is married to Manjul Kumar, a Supreme Court lawyer and they have three children, Anshul, Swati and Devangna.
She is a keen sportswoman and holds medals for rifle shooting. She is also a poetess.
Meira Kumar is married to Manjul Kumar, a Supreme Court lawyer and they have three children, Anshul, Swati and Devangna.
She is a keen sportswoman and holds medals for rifle shooting. She is also a poetess.
India elects first woman Speaker
Ms Kumar's election as Speaker had the support of Congress and the BJP
India's parliament has elected its first woman Speaker after a sweeping victory for the Congress party in recent general elections.
Meira Kumar, 64, was elected unopposed by a voice vote in parliament. She belongs to the low-caste Dalit - formerly untouchable - community.
She had been sworn in as a cabinet minister, but resigned on Sunday after Congress offered her the Speaker's job.
Parliament's newly-elected lower house began its first session on Monday.
As soon as the Lok Sabha [lower house of parliament] met on Wednesday, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi proposed Ms Kumar as the Speaker of the new house.
Leader of opposition LK Advani [of the Bharatiya Janata Party] and other political leaders seconded her name.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Advani then accompanied her to the Speaker's chair to complete the formality.
'Historic'
Ms Kumar, who has been elected to parliament five times, is the daughter of the late Babu Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit leader and former deputy prime minister of India.
She has described her nomination as "a rare historic opportunity".
"Historic because a woman has been considered for this very important and august position," she told reporters.
Ms Kumar was earlier sworn in as a minister and given charge of the water resources ministry.
Analysts say naming her as Speaker works to the advantage of the Congress as it helps the party position itself as pro-women.
It also projects Congress as a party which is concerned about the welfare of the low-caste Dalits who have faced discrimination from upper-caste Hindus for centuries.
Ms Kumar's election as Speaker had the support of Congress and the BJP
India's parliament has elected its first woman Speaker after a sweeping victory for the Congress party in recent general elections.
Meira Kumar, 64, was elected unopposed by a voice vote in parliament. She belongs to the low-caste Dalit - formerly untouchable - community.
She had been sworn in as a cabinet minister, but resigned on Sunday after Congress offered her the Speaker's job.
Parliament's newly-elected lower house began its first session on Monday.
As soon as the Lok Sabha [lower house of parliament] met on Wednesday, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi proposed Ms Kumar as the Speaker of the new house.
Leader of opposition LK Advani [of the Bharatiya Janata Party] and other political leaders seconded her name.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Advani then accompanied her to the Speaker's chair to complete the formality.
'Historic'
Ms Kumar, who has been elected to parliament five times, is the daughter of the late Babu Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit leader and former deputy prime minister of India.
She has described her nomination as "a rare historic opportunity".
"Historic because a woman has been considered for this very important and august position," she told reporters.
Ms Kumar was earlier sworn in as a minister and given charge of the water resources ministry.
Analysts say naming her as Speaker works to the advantage of the Congress as it helps the party position itself as pro-women.
It also projects Congress as a party which is concerned about the welfare of the low-caste Dalits who have faced discrimination from upper-caste Hindus for centuries.
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