Minimata Death Anniversary – Special write-up: Minimata gave a new identity to Chhattisgarh on a national horizon
Raipur / 10 August 2022
Chhattisgarh’s first female Member of Parliament, Minimata, had a multidimensional personality. She had a distinct identity among other national leaders because of her leadership qualities. Not just the exploited Dalit classes but other people also acknowledged her leadership. She had played an important role in getting the Untouchability Redressal Act passed in Parliament. Minimata reached the peak of popularity because of her social welfare work.
Minimata participated actively in the progress and welfare works for all sections of the society including social reforms. She considered public service as her life’s purpose. She contributed chiefly to many social reforms like the upliftment of women, farmers, and laborers, Untouchability Redressal Law, Ashrams for handicapped and orphaned people, decisions concerning female education, and eradication of social evils like dowry and child marriage. Because of Minimata’s political activity, many laws were made in the interest of the rights of victims in Parliament.
Minimata’s real name was Minakshi Devi. She was born on 13 March 1913 in Assam’s Daulgaon. She had a working knowledge of Assamese, English, Hindi, Bengali, and Chhattisgarhi languages. She was a true idol of truth, non-violence, and love. She was married to Guru Agamdas, the fourth descendent of Guru Baba Ghasidas. She came to Chhattisgarh after her marriage and devoted her entire life to the development of this region. Being inspired by Guru Agamdas, she participated actively in the freedom struggle, social reforms, and human emancipation. After independence, the first election in 1951-52 was held. Minimata remained a Member of Parliament of the Lok Sabha from 1951 to 1971. She will always be remembered as the first female Member of Parliament from Chhattisgarh and for her works in the field of women’s upliftment. She was selected as the first female Member of Parliament from the reserved seat of Bilaspur-Durg-Raipur in the undivided Madhya Pradesh. She then won the election four times in the Janjgir Lok Sabha region reserved for the Scheduled Castes and reached the Lok Sabha.
In the memory of Minimata, the Chhattisgarh Government changed the name of the Bhagini Maternity Assistance Scheme into Minimata Mehtari Jatan Yojana. The Bhagini scheme provided financial assistance to women during maternity belonging to economically-weaker sections of society of unorganized regions. To make the contribution of Minimata everlasting in Chhattisgarh, the Hasdev Bango Dam in the contemporaneous Madhya Pradesh was named after Minimata to pay a tribute to her works in favor the farmers. Today, thousands of farmers in Bilaspur and Janjgir districts are getting the facility of irrigation. Minimata always advocated employment for local people in industries. After the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, the Minimata Honor was established by the Chhattisgarh Government to commemorate her worthy contribution to the field of women’s emancipation and social welfare.