leader Meira Kumar took oath as the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha today.
Kumar hails from the Dalit community and is better known as the daughter of
former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram.
Born in Patna in 1945, she is law graduate and holds a Masters in English
literature.
She joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973 and served at the embassies in
Spain, United Kingdom and Mauritius.
Kumar was elected from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh in 1985. She became Member
of Parliament in the 11th and 12th Lok Sabha by contesting from Delhi"s Karol
Bagh constituency.
In 1999, she lost her seat, but was re-elected by a record majority from
Sasaram in Bihar in 2004.
In 2004, she was inducted into the first Manmohan Singh cabinet, as Minister
of Social Justice and Empowerment.
On May 29, 2009, she assumed charge as the Union Minister for Water
Resources in the newly elected UPA Government.
She is married to Manjul Kumar, a Supreme Court lawyer. The couple have
three married children.
