Ganga Devi (10 December 1916 – 24 May 1984) was an Indian politician belonging to the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. She was elected to the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

the lower house of Indian Parliament from

Mohanlalganj Mohanlalganj is a tehsil and community development block in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It has historically constituted part of the village of Mau. History The eponymous market, called Mohanlalganj, was established in 1859 by Raja ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967 and 1971. She was defeated in 1977 by

Ram Lal Kureel Ram Lal Kureel was an Indian politician. He born Kureel Family. He was elected to the Lok Sabha the lower house of Indian Parliament from Mohanlalganj in Uttar Pradesh in 1977 as a member of the Janata Party The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''P ...

Early life and education

Ganga Devi, daughter of Chanda Lall, was born in

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...

(now in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

) on 10 December 1916. She studied at Mahadevi Kanya Pathshala, Dehradun and later at D.A.V. College, Dehradun and Banaras Hindu University,

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Career

Ganga Devi was on the Scholarship Board for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and

other Backward Class The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...

es of India from 1952–54, Tea and Coffee Board from 1952–54 and Central Social Welfare Board from 1958–60. She was in the Employees Union, Meerut from 1950–53 and All India Scheduled Castes Uplift Union. She was also the organiser of Rashtriya Sewa Sangathan, President and Founder of All India Depressed Classes League, Women's Section and President of Rashtriya Seva Sansthan. Devi was member of the first

from 1952–57, second Lok Sabha from 1957–62, third Lok Sabha from 1962–67 and Estimates Committee from 1963–64. (5) She was also the Executive Committee of the

Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

in Parliament from 1962–64 and 1967 and member of the fourth Lok Sabha from 1967–70. Devi was involved in various social activities like welfare of the backward classes in rural areas, children's education, eradication of social evils like child marriage, caste system etc. Her special interests included development of village industries, welfare of Harijans and other Backward Classes and eradication of casteism and communalism.

Personal life and death

Ganga Devi married Jaipal Singh on 21 June 1941 and together they had one daughter and one son. She liked gardening, reading and touring, especially in backward areas. She lived in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Devi died in

Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Muni ...

on 24 May 1984, at the age of 67.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Ganga 1916 births 1984 deaths India MPs 1952–1957 India MPs 1957–1962 India MPs 1962–1967 India MPs 1967–1970 India MPs 1971–1977 Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh Indian National Congress politicians People from Lucknow district