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Smt. Pratibha Devisingh
Patil was born on December 19, 1934 in Nadgaon village
of Jalgaon District, Maharashtra.
Smt. Patil assumed office as the 12th President of India
on July 25, 2007. She is the first woman to have been
elected to this august office.
Immediately prior to election as the President of India,
Smt. Patil was the Governor of Rajasthan from November
8, 2004 till June 21, 2007.
Education:
Smt. Patil received her early education from RR
Vidyalaya, Jalgaon and later obtained her Master’s
degree in Political Science and Economics from the
Mooljee Jetha College, Jalgaon. Later, she obtained the
degree of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Government Law
College, Bombay (Mumbai). While in college, she took
active part in sports, excelled in table tennis and won
several shields at various Inter-collegiate tournaments.
Even as an MLA, she pursued her studies as a law
student.
Professional Career:
Smt. Patil started her professional career as a
practicing lawyer at the Jalgaon District Court and
simultaneously devoted herself to various social
activities, especially, for the upliftment of poor
women.
Political Career:
At the young age of 27 years, she successfully contested
her first election to the Maharashtra State Legislature
from the Jalgaon Assembly constituency. Subsequently she
was continuously elected four times as MLA from the
Edlabad (Muktai Nagar) constituency till 1985.
Thereafter, she served as a Member of Parliament in the
Rajya Sabha from 1985 to 1990 and later elected as a
Member of Parliament to the 10th Lok Sabha in the 1991
General Elections from the Amravati constituency. She
enjoys the unique distinction of not having lost a
single election that she contested till date.
1962-85: Member, Maharasthra Legislative Assembly
1967-72: Deputy Minister, Public Health, Prohibition,
Tourism, Housing and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt. of
Maharasthra
1972-74: Cabinet Minister, Social Welfare, Govt. of
Maharashtra
1974-75: Cabinet Minister, Public Health and Social
Welfare, Maharasthra
1975-76: Cabinet Minister, Prohibition, Rehabilitation
and Cultural Affairs, Govt of Maharashtra
1977-78: Cabinet Minister, Education, Govt of
Maharashtra
July 1979 to February1980: Leader of Opposition, CLP(I),
Govt of Maharashtra
1982-85: Cabinet Minister, Urban Development and
Housing, Govt of Maharashtra
1983-85: Cabinet Minister, Civil Supplies and Social
Welfare, Govt of Maharashtra
June, 1985-90: Elected to Rajya Sabha
18 November 1986 to 5 November1988: Deputy Chairman,
Rajya Sabha
1986-88: Chairman, Committee on Privileges, Rajya Sabha
Member, Business Advisory Committee, Rajya Sabha
1991: Elected to 10th Lok Sabha Chairperson, House
Committee, Lok Sabha
2004-07: Governor of Rajasthan
July 25, 2007 - President of India
Other Positions:
President- PCC Maharashtra 1988-1990, Director of
National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks & Credit
Societies Member of Governing Council, National
Cooperative Union of India.
While in the Rajya Sabha, Smt. Patil was the Deputy
Chairperson, Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1988 and also
served as the Chairperson, Rajya Sabha from 25.7.1987 to
2.9.1987 when Dr. R. Venkataraman got elected as
President of India. She was also the Chairperson,
Committee of Privileges, Rajya Sabha and Member,
Business Advisory Committee, Rajya Sabha from 1986 to
1988. While in the Lok Sabha, Smt. Patil was the
Chairperson, House Committee.
Public Life:
In her long public life, she has been associated with
several institutions in wide ranging capacities. She
served as Chairperson, Maharashtra State Water Pollution
Control Board from 1982 to 1985. She was also the
President, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC)
from 1988 to 1990. Besides holding the position of
Director and Vice-Chairperson, National Federation of
Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies, she also
served as Member, Governing Council, National
Cooperative Union of India and Chairperson, 20-Point
Programme Implementation Committee, Government of
Maharashtra.
Smt. Patil has represented India in various
international fora. She attended the International
Council on Social Welfare conferences at Nairobi and at
Puerto Rico. She was a Member of the AICC(I) delegation
to Bulgaria in 1985 and represented as Member,
Commonwealth Presiding Officers Conference in London in
1988. She led the Indian delegation to the Conference on
the ‘Status of Women’ in Austria and was a delegate at
the World Women’s Conference, Beijing, China in
September 1995.
Social and Cultural Activities:
Throughout her public life, Smt. Patil has worked
actively for the welfare of women and children and the
underprivileged sections of society. For their benefit,
she established several institutions for them. To name a
few, she had set up
hostels for working women in Mumbai and Delhi,
an Engineering College at Jalgaon for rural youth,
the Shram Sadhana Trust which takes part in multifarious
welfare activities for development of women,
an Industrial Training School for the visually
handicapped in Jalgaon,
schools for poor children of Vimukta Jatis (Nomadic
Tribes) and for children of Backward Classes in Amravati
District
a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Farmers’ Training Centre) at
Amravati, Maharashtra. She played a pioneering role in
setting up the Mahila Vikas Mahamandal, a Maharashtra
State Government undertaking for the development of
women.
She was instrumental in organizing music, computer and
sewing classes for the poor and needy women at Amravati,
Maharashtra. Smt. Patil also organized the Women’s Home
Guard in Jalgaon District and was their Commandant in
1962.
Family Life:
Smt. Patil is married to Dr. Devisingh Ramsingh
Shekhawat. Dr. Shekhawat obtained his Ph.D. in the
discipline of Chemistry from Haffkine Institute, Mumbai.
An educationist and a social worker in his own right, he
became the first Mayor of Amravati Municipal Corporation
and he has also represented Amravati constituency as its
MLA. She has two children, a daughter, Smt. Jyoti
Rathore and a son, Shri Rajendra Singh.
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