Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (1889–1964) is famously recognized as the first Health Minister of Independent India. She was born as a princess into the royal family of Kapurthala district, formerly a princely state in British Punjab. After completing her education at Oxford, she returned to India in 1918 and thereafter became an integral part of India’s Freedom Struggle.
She served as Gandhi’s secretary for a period of sixteen years and also took an active part in various national movements, like the Dandi March. Her most notable contribution to the freedom struggle came during the Quit India Movement in 1942. She organized multiple protests and processions against British authorities in and outside Punjab. Her prominent role during the Quit India Movement led to her imprisonment for a period of twenty months. After her release, she continued to fight for India’s independence and later went on to become a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was a champion of the social and political rights of women in India and elsewhere. Her contribution as the Health Minister of India were also manifold.
She was referred to as “a princess in her nation’s service”. Her profound contributions to the Indian independence struggle stand out as inspirational to this day.
Source: Indian Culture Portal