![]() She donated her ancestral property in Shimla, a large mansion known as ‘Manorville’ to AIIMS as a holiday and rest home for its nurses. She was also its first President, a position she held till her death in 1964. She was the first woman and the first Asian to hold that post.Īll India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) | In 1957, she was the main driving force behind the establishment of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and secured funds from around the world for its establishment. In 1950, she was elected the President of the World Health Assembly – the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed. ![]() As India’s first Health Minister, she would tirelessly campaign for public health and especially women’s health. They were able to push through several reforms despite opposition from male members.Īfter India gained independence, Amrit Kaur became the first female cabinet minister in India, holding the portfolio of Ministry of Health. The following year, she was one of the few female members of the constituent assembly where they demanded the formulation of an ‘Indian Women’s Charter for Rights’. In 1945, in the founding session of the UNSECO conference, Amrit Kaur served as the official delegate from India. – Amrit Kaur became the first female cabinet minister in independent India She was arrested and sent to Ambala prison for a month and put in solitary confinement. She organised a number of dharnas and demonstrations in various parts of India and was brutally injured in lathi charges several times. She was on the boards of various organisations and championed the cause of women’s education, the abolition of child marriage, the purdah system and health issues regarding women.Īs India’s first Health Minister, Amrit Kaur campaigned extensively for public health | Wikimedia CommonsĪmrit Kaur was extremely active during the 1942 Quit India movement. Simultaneously, she constantly worked for the welfare and rights of women by taking up one agenda after the other. Later, she also served as one of Mahatma Gandhi’s private secretaries. She joined Mahatma Gandhi and hundreds of his followers on the Dandi March, protesting against the Salt tax, imposed by the British. In 1930, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur plunged deeper into the freedom movement. – Amrit Kaur led the campaign against child marriage, forcing the Government to raise the marriageable age of girls ![]() A first of its kind, pan India body that worked for women’s rights, Amrit Kaur led the campaign against child marriage through this, forcing the Government to raise the marriageable age of girls to 14 and later to 18. Always interested in working for the upliftment and welfare of women and children, she had already founded the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) in 1926. It was only in 1930, when her parents had passed on and she was 40, that she plunged into an active role. Given the rigidity of society and the royal background that Amrit Kaur came from, it wasn't easy for her to throw in her lot with the freedom fighters she was so inspired by. Mahatma Gandhi at the Dandi March in 1930 | Wikimedia Commons
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