Did you know that out of the 299 members of the Constituent Assembly, only 15 were women?
These women played a big role in shaping the Constitution of India and advocated for equality, justice and democracy.
Let’s learn from #UPSC Prelims - 2024 Perspective
A Thread🧵

1. Annie Mascarene
- Annie Mascarene’s work as a lawyer and politician in Travancore
- She fought to integrate the princely state of Travancore into the newly independent India
- The first woman to hold a ministerial and legislative assembly position in Travancore

2. Hansa Jivraj Mehta
- A staunch freedom fighter, women’s rights activist and member of the Constituent Assembly
- She presented the country’s first national flag on behalf of the women of India
- In the Constituent Assembly, made strong arguments against reservations for women
- She also served on the board of UNESCO and became the first Vice Chancellor of MS University in Baroda

3. Dakshayani Velayudhan
- She was the first and only Dalit woman who was elected to the Constituent Assembly
- Along with Dr Ambedkar, brought many caste-related issues to light in the Assembly debates
- She also happened to be the youngest member of the committee at 34
- She was a Gandhian and opposed untouchability
- She supported Article 17 of the Constitution which abolishes untouchability
- Velayudhan did not pursue electoral politics but was actively involved in social work in Delhi

4. Amrit Kaur
- Born into the Kapurthala royal family, she was educated in Oxford and returned to India in 1918
- She was also a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly. She was also a member of the Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights and the Sub-Committee on Minorities
- She was the first woman in independent India who join the Cabinet as the Health Minister and remained in that position for 10 years
- She founded the Indian Council for Child Welfare. She also laid the foundation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Lady Irwin College in Delhi
- In 1950, she was elected the president of the World Health Assembly, becoming the first woman and the first Asian to hold that post
- She was the founder member of All India Womens’ Conference
- She served as the Chairperson of the Indian Red Cross society, All India Women's Education Fund Association
- She initiated the Tuberculosis Association of India and the Central Leprosy Teaching and Research Institute in Madras (Chennai)
- She also worked on social issues such as the purdah system, child marriage, Devadasi system, women’s education and the right to vote

5. Ammu Swaminathan
- She was elected to the Constituent Assembly from the Madras Constituency in 1946
- She spoke on fundamental rights and directive principles
- She was a firm advocate for the abolishment of the archaic and oppressive caste system and sided with Ambedkar on several caste-related issues
- Being an upper-caste woman, Ammu recognised the evil of caste and even criticised Jawahar Lal Nehru for responding to Panditji which she saw as a sign of superior class dominance
- Apart from her time at the Parliament, her interests in movies led her to become the Vice President of the Federation of Film Societies and the Censor Board
- She also served as the President of the Bharat Scouts and Guides between 1960 and 1965

6. Durgabai Deshmukh
- She was the only female member of the Panel of Chairmen in the Constituent Assembly
- She influenced several legislations on issues including judicial independence, human trafficking, and the national language
- She played a significant role in the enactment of many social welfare laws
- She was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas of social reform
- She founded the Andhra Mahila Sabha in 1937
- Also she started the Balika Hindi Paathshala in Rajahmundry to promote Hindi education for girls
- She also served as the president of the Blind Relief Association
- She was also the one who proposed Hindustani (Hindi+Urdu) as the national language of India

7. Begum Aizaz Rasul
- She was the only Muslim woman in the Constituent Assembly of India that drafted the Constitution of India
- She was instrumental in creating consensus amongst the Muslim leadership to voluntarily give up the demand for reserved seats for religious minorities
- She opposed the idea of having ‘separate electorates’ for Muslims
- She held the office of the Deputy President of the Council from 1937 to 1940 and acted as the Leader of Opposition in the Council from 1950 to 1952-54
- She was the first woman in India and the first Muslim woman in the world to reach this position
- Despite her family background, she was known for her strong support for zamindari abolition
- She held the office of President of the Indian Women Hockey Federation for 20 years and was also President of the Asian Women’s Hockey Federation
- The Indian Women’s Hockey Cup is named after her
- In 2000, she was awarded a Padma Bhushan for her contribution to social work

8. Vijaya Laxmi Pandit
- She was the first female President of the United Nations General Assembly
- She was also the 3rd Governor of Maharashtra
- She was the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru
- She was the President of the All India Women's Conference
- She was the first Indian woman to hold a cabinet post in pre-independent India

Are you Preparing for UPSC-2024?
If yes, then you can’t afford to miss the latest Current Affairs
Just DM me the words “Current Affairs” and I will send you a link
But firstly you need to follow @deepanshuS27 , So I can DM you the link