7 women MPs who got inducted into PM Modi's new council of ministers
With these seven new entrants, there will be 11 women ministers in PM Modi's government.
Seven women MPs took oath on Wednesday to be inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new council of ministers aimed to serve new India. Sources have emphasised that the new inductions have been done keeping diversity in mind with a special focus on the representation of all sections of the society including gender, caste etc.
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When the Modi cabinet took oath in 2019, it was criticised for scanty representation of women with only three cabinet ministers and 3 ministers of state. With Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigning, the number of cabinet ministers came down to two -- Nirmala Sitharaman and Smriti Irani. The seven women MPs who were sworn in on Wednesday are likely to get ministers of state with the number of cabinet ministers remaining two. Niranjan Jyoti, Renuka Singh, and Debasree Chaudhury were the ministers of state. Among them, Debasree Chaudhury has been dropped in this reshuffle.
Here is all you need to know about them:
Anupriya Singh Patel (40)
A Lok Sabha MP from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, Anupriya Singh Patel is serving her second term as the MP. She has served as Union minister of state for health under PM Narendra Modi. She has also been an MLA in Uttar Pradesh. She has an MBA degree from Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj University. Before joining politics, she worked as a professor at Amity University.
Prakash Javadekar, Ravi Shankar Prasad quit ahead of PM Modi's Cabinet shuffle
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje (54)
A Lok Sabha MP for Udupi, Chikmagalur in Karnataka, the former state minister is now serving her second term as an MP. She has also been 1-time MLA and 1-time MLC in Karnataka. She was state minister before and held several portfolios including food and civil supplies, power, rural development and panchayati raj System. She has an MA degree in Sociology from Mangalore University.
Darshana Vikram Jardosh (60)
A Lok Sabha MP for Surat serving her 3rd term in the office, Darshana Vikram Jardosh has been a corporator of Surat Municipal Corporation and a member of Gujarat Social Welfare Board in the past. She is the director of Sanskruti, an art and cultural organisation. She has studied BCom from K P Commerce College, Surat.
Meenakshi Lekhi (54)
Prominent Delhi BJP leader, serving her 2nd term as the MP, Meenakshi Lekhi has been a member of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation. By profession, she is a Supreme Court lawyer. She has studied LLB at Delhi University.
Annpurna Devi (51)
A Lok Sabha MP for Kodarma in Jharkhand, serving her 1st term as the MP, Annpurna Devi has been a four-time MLA from Jharkhand and Bihar. She has served as minister in Jharkhand holding portfolios like irrigation, women and child welfare, registration. She also served as minister of state for mines and geology in the Bihar government when she was only 30. She has an MA in History from Ranchi University.
Sushri Pratima Bhoumik (52)
A Lok Sabha MP from Tripura West, serving her first term as the MP, Sushri Pratima Bhoumik comes from a farming family. She holds a graduate degree in Bio-Science from Women's College, Tripura University.
Bharati Pravin Pawar (42)
A Lok Sabha MP for Dindori in Maharashtra serving her first term as an MP, Bharati has served as a member of Nashik Zila Parishad. By profession, she is a doctor and holds an MBBS degree in surgery.
