Saturday, January 26, 2008
Pratibha Patil was born to Narayan Paglu Rao in Nadgaon, Maharashtra on December 19th 1934. She did her schooling from R.R. School at Jalgaon. Pratibha completed her M.A. from Mooljee Jaitha College, Jalgaon and then obtained a law degree from the Government Law College. Pratibha married educator Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat on July 7, 1965 in her third marriage They have a son and a daughter.
Pratibha along with her husband set an educational instituteVidya Bharati Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, which has a chain of schools and colleges in Jalgaon and Mumbai. They also set up Shram Sadhana Trust that runs hostels for working women. Pratibha was the chairwoman of a cooperative sugar factory known as Sant Muktabai Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana and a cooperative bank named after herself as Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank. Pratibha started a school for poor children of Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic tribes.
Pratibha Patil began political career in 1962 at the age of 27 by the guidance of senior Congress leader and ex-Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan. Pratibha was a deputy minister for education after re-election in 1967. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a Congress candidate.
In 1985 Pratibha was elected to the Rajya Sabha, and served as its deputy chairwoman from November 1986 to November 1988. Her term expired in April 1990. The following year she won election 10th Lok Sabha from at Amravati constituency. She also served as Director of National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks & Credit Societies and the Member of Governing Council, National Co-operative, Union of India. In November 2004 Pratibha become the first woman Governor of Rajasthan.In April 2006, the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly passed the Rajasthan Freedom of Religion Bill 2006 Pratibha Patil returned the bill unsigned the Bill infringed on the fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and expression, freedom of conscience and freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion.
Pratibha Patil resigned as the Governor of Rajasthan on June 21, 2007.Pratibha Patil is the 13th and current President of India. She is the first woman and first Maharashtrian to hold this post. Pratibha was sworn in as President of India on July 25, 2007 by the Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan.
source: living.oneindia.in
