Interesting facts about the only Woman President of India: Pratibha Patil

Pratibha Patil is a true inspiration & why we all should take life lessons from here

Pratibha Patil is the first and the only Woman President of India. She was the 12^th president of India, born on December 19, 1934. Pratibha is a lawyer and a politician who also served as the Governor of Rajasthan from 2004 to 2007. She is the member of Indian National Congress and the only woman who has held the office of President in India.

Let us know some important things about her personal and professional life.

1. Pratibhawas born in a small village in Nadgaon which is in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. She has completed her master’s degree in Political Science and Economics. She started practising law after completing her post-graduation. With time she also developed her interest in social issues such as improving the condition of women in India.

2. In the year 1962, at the age of 27, she was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for the Jalgaon constituency. Thereafter, she won in the Muktainagar constituency on four consecutive occasions between 1967 and 1985.

3. Between 1985 to 1990, she became the member of the parliament in Rajya Sabha. She is also the first woman to hold the office of the Governor as she was appointed 24^th Governor of Rajasthan in November, 2004.

Read more: List of Successful Women Chief Ministers

4. Patil became the first Woman President of India on July 25, 2007. She got one-third of the votes during the election of president and bagged the title of president of India. She is known as the most merciful president in the past 30 years since 1981.

5. According to the records, Patil was noted for having spent more money on foreign trips, and having taken a greater number of foreign trips, than any prior president.

6. Along with her husband, she has set up Vidya Bharati Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, an institute which runs a chain of schools and colleges in Amravati, Jalgaon and Mumbai.

7. She has also set up Shram Sadhana Trust, which runs hostels for working women in New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. She also founded a sugar factory known as Sant Muktabai Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana.

(First Female President)

These were some of the facts that an individual should know about the only woman president of India. Pratibha was also a part of a lot of controversies during her tenure as a President. For instance, she used government funds to build her retirement mansion in Pune on a military land. She is also known for taking the highest number of foreign trips with as many as 11 members of her family.

Till date, she has taken 12 foreign trips spanning 22 countries and all expenses covered by the public fund. In addition to all this, she also founded a cooperative bank named Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank, which ceased trading in February 2003 when its license was cancelled by the Reserve Bank of India.

(Throwback Picture of Pratibha Patil )

Among other failings, the bank had also given loans to her relatives which exceeded that bank’s share capital. This bank also gave loan to her sugar mill which was never repaid. The bank waived off certain loans and which led to liquidation.

Conclusion:

Being the first female president, Pratibha Patil did open political doors for the women of the country. Her tenure is a mixture of controversies and some fruitful agreements. Despite all the facts, she is an important personality in the political history of India.

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