Sucheta Kriplani was the first woman Chief Minister
in India. She was Chief Minister of India from 1963 to 1967. She had a
reputation of being a firm administrator. Her tenure was marked by a
visible sense of fairness and transparency. The first-ever strike by the
state employees which continued for 62 days took place during her
regime. She relented only when the employees' leaders agreed for
compromise.
Sucheta Kriplani was born as Sucheta Mazumdarin Ambala, Haryana. She
received her education from Indraprastha College and St.Stephen's
College, Delhi. She became a lecturer at the Banaras Hindu University.
In 1936, she married socialist leader Acharya Kriplani. Sucheta Kriplani
actively participated in Quit India Movement. She was elected to the Lok
Sabha in 1952 and 1957 and served as a Minister of State for Small Scale
Industries. In 1962, she was elected to the U.P Assembly from Kanpur and
served in the Cabinet in 1962. She retired from politics in 1971 and
died in 1974.
