Born: 2 February 1887
Died: 6 February 1964
Rajkumari Bibiji Amrit Kaur Ahluwalia was a politician and an activist during the Indian freedom struggle. She became the nations’ first Health Minister and was born on 2 February 1887 in Lucknow, United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), India, to Raja ‘Sir’ Harnam Singh Ahluwalia, who was the younger son of the Raja of Kapurthala. Her early education was at Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset, England while she graduated from Oxford University. After completing her education, she returned to India in 1918 and engaged herself with the independence movement.
Her father was closely associated with leaders of the independence movement such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale. When Rajkumari met Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai in 1919, she shared interests & opinions in his visions and teachings, she would work as his secretary for 16 years.

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur criticized the British rule following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. She officially joined the Indian National Congress, and became an active member of the freedom struggle. While also focusing on social reform, Rajkumari actively campaigned against the devadasi system and the practice of child marriage.
In 1930, she got arrested by the British following here participation during the Dandi March. After her release she went on to live a harsh life, at Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram in 1934, despite her noble background.
On August 15, 1947, Rajkumari was elected to the Constituent Assembly following independence. Being a member of the assembly, she supported the inception of a Uniform Civil Code in India. She actively discusses the issue of protecting religious rights.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was the first woman to hold a cabinet position at Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s first cabinet and was assigned the Ministry of Health. She remained in office until 1957. As Health Minister, she took steps to suppress the spread of malaria in India and the elimination of tuberculosis, ultimately navigating the largest B.C.G vaccination programme in the world.
Amrit Kaur was the co-founder of the All India Women’s Conference which advocated better treatment of women in 1927, and played a crucial role in the creation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and became the first president of AIIMS. She also held the charge of Sports Minister and Urban Development Minister and was involved in setting up the National Institute of Sports,Patiala. During her tenure, Kaur ushered in several healthcare reforms in India and is extensively remembered for her contributions to the sector and her advocacy of women’s rights.
Kaur died in New Delhi on 6 February 1964. Even though at the time of her death, she was a practicing Protestant Christian, she was cremated in accordance with Sikh tradition. Rajkumari never married, had no children, and was survived by Raja Maharaj Singh’s (her elder brother’s) descendants.
Today, her private papers are part of the Archives at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, at Teen Murti Bhavan, New Delhi.
Swami Vivekanand Subharti University celebrates Amrit Kaur’s resolution to drive out the British, her devotion towards feminism, and also all the contributions she had made to the health infrastructure of the country.