- Born:
- March 31, 1945, Patna [now in Bihar state], India (age 81)
- Title / Office:
- Lok Sabha (2009-2014), India
- Political Affiliation:
- Indian National Congress
- United Progressive Alliance
- Notable Family Members:
- father Jagjivan Ram
Meira Kumar
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Who is Meira Kumar?
Meira Kumar, born on March 31, 1945, is an Indian diplomat, politician, and government official. She is the first woman to hold the position of speaker of the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament) from 2009 to 2014.
Coming from a Dalit political family, Kumar earned degrees in English literature and law from the University of Delhi. Her father, Jagjivan Ram, was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement, and her mother, Indrani Devi, was a social worker and advocate for independence.
Kumar entered the Indian Foreign Service in 1973 and served for over a decade. In 1985, encouraged by her father and Rajiv Gandhi, she entered politics and won a seat in the Lok Sabha.
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What important positions has Meira Kumar held in the Indian government?
Meira Kumar, an Indian diplomat and politician, has held several important positions in the Indian government. In 1973, Kumar joined the Indian Foreign Service and served for over a decade. In 2004, she became the minister of social justice and empowerment in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. After winning the 2009 elections, she was appointed minister for water resources. From 2009 to 2014, Kumar served as the speaker of the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament), the first woman to hold that position. Additionally, she served as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 1991–92 and again from 1996 to 1999.
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What is Meira Kumar most well-known for in Indian politics?
Meira Kumar is most well-known for being the first woman to hold the position of speaker of the Lok Sabha (the lower chamber of the Indian parliament), a role she occupied from 2009 to 2014. Born into a political family of Dalit origin, Kumar's father, Jagjivan Ram, was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement and a champion for social justice. Before becoming speaker, Kumar had a long career in politics, including serving as a member of the Working Committee of the Congress Party and holding various ministerial positions such as minister of social justice and empowerment and minister for water resources. As speaker, she launched initiatives such as reducing paper use in the Lok Sabha and supported movements against violence against women. Learn more about her career.
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What was significant about Meira Kumar serving as Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
Meira Kumar's service as Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 was significant because she was the first woman to hold that position. Born into a Dalit family with a strong political background, Kumar's election to this role marked a milestone in Indian politics. As speaker, she launched initiatives such as reducing paper use in the house by providing tablet computers to members and supported the movement against violence against women.
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How did Meira Kumar’s background influence her career?
Meira Kumar's background significantly shaped her career as an Indian diplomat and politician. Born into a Dalit family with a legacy of political activism, her father, Jagjivan Ram, was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement and a crusader for social justice, while her mother, Indrani Devi, was a social worker and advocate for independence.
Educated in English literature and law at the University of Delhi, Kumar entered the Indian Foreign Service in 1973, serving for over a decade before transitioning to politics in 1985. Encouraged by her father and Rajiv Gandhi, her political career progressed steadily within the Indian National Congress, representing the lower castes.
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What contributions has Meira Kumar made to Indian society and government?
Meira Kumar, an Indian diplomat and politician, has made significant contributions to Indian society and government. As the first woman speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014, she launched initiatives such as reducing paper usage in the house by providing tablet computers to members, which resulted in an approximate 30 percent reduction in paper usage. Kumar also supported the nationwide movement against violence against women in the country.
She served in the Indian Foreign Service for over a decade before entering politics in 1985. In 2004, she became the minister of social justice and empowerment. Later, in 2009, she was appointed minister for water resources.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Meira Kumar (born March 31, 1945, Patna [now in Bihar state], India) is an Indian diplomat, politician, and government official who served as speaker of the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament) from 2009 to 2014, the first woman to hold that position.
Kumar was born into a political family of Dalit (formerly untouchable; now, officially, Scheduled Caste) origin. She completed B.A. and M.A. degrees in English literature and an LL.B. from the University of Delhi. Her father, Jagjivan Ram, was prominent in the Indian independence movement and was a longtime crusader for social justice. He served in the union government as minister of defense from 1977 to 1979 and deputy prime minister briefly in 1979. Her mother, Indrani Devi, also was an advocate of independence and was a social worker.
In 1973 Kumar entered the Indian Foreign Service, where she served for more than a decade. After postings to Madrid and London, she decided in 1985 to enter politics, encouraged by her father and by Rajiv Gandhi, then prime minister of India. She ran in a by-election for a seat in the Lok Sabha from a constituency in Uttar Pradesh state, defeating two other Dalit candidates—one of whom, Kumari Mayawati, would later become the first woman Dalit chief minister of an Indian state.
Being close to the politically powerful Gandhi family and representing the lower castes, Kumar’s political career progressed steadily within the Indian National Congress (Congress Party). In 1991–92 she served as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee. She was again chosen for the post in 1996 and remained in office until 1999. In addition, she twice served (1991–2000 and 2002–04) as a member of the Working Committee of the Congress Party, the organization’s highest decision-making body.
(Read Indira Gandhi’s 1975 Britannica essay on global underprivilege.)
Kumar won reelection to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and 1998 from a New Delhi constituency, but in 1999 she lost to a candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She resigned from the Congress Party in 2000, citing differences with the party leadership, but rejoined it two years later. In 2004 and 2009 she contested and won the Lok Sabha seat from Sasaram in Bihar state, the constituency once represented by her father.
In 2004 she was appointed minister of social justice and empowerment in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and continued in that office until 2009. Following her victory in the 2009 elections—in which the UPA again emerged victorious—she was appointed minister for water resources, and in June of that year she was elected unopposed as the speaker of the Lok Sabha.
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As speaker, Kumar launched several initiatives within the Lok Sabha, including one in 2011 designed to reduce the amount of paper used in the house. Under its provisions, all Lok Sabha members were issued tablet computers. It is thought that this resulted in a 30 percent reduction in paper usage in that chamber. Kumar also lent her support to the growing nationwide movement opposing violence against women in the country.
Kumar lost her bid to retain her seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, one of the many Congress Party members who were ousted from the chamber in the BJP landslide victory. She left the speaker’s post in early June, following the expiration of her term. In the 2017 presidential election she was the UPA’s candidate, but she was easily defeated by Ram Nath Kovind of the BJP.