Ram Nath Kovind was a lawyer who later became a famous Indian politician and was elected as the 14th President of India. Before assuming the presidency, Kovind served as the governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017. Kovind was a practicing lawyer for about 16 years and provided free legal aid to the underprivileged sections of Delhi society before entering politics. Let’s take a look at some more interesting facts and biography of the 14th President of India.
Biography/Wiki
Ram Nath Kovind was born on October 1, 1945 (age 77; as of 2022) in Palauk, Kanpurdhat district, Uttar Pradesh, India, to Maikulal Kori and Kalava Kalawati. He graduated from Kanpur University with a degree in Commerce and pursued LLB. After completing law, Kovind moved to Delhi and started preparing for the civil services examination. He passed the exam in the third attempt but refused to join the service as he was selected for the Allied Service instead of IAS. He further registered as an advocate with the Delhi Bar Council and started practicing law. During his tenure as a lawyer, Kovind provided free legal aid to socially disadvantaged sections, women and poor people in Delhi. Later, he was appointed as a member of the Central Government Standing Committee of the Supreme Court of India and worked as a lawyer until 1993. Kovind entered politics in 1991 after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Ram Nath Kovind’s early life
Family, wife and caste
Ram Nath Kovind was born into a Hindu family. His father Maikulal Kori is a local Vaidya and runs a grocery store. His mother was Kalawati, who died when Kovind was very young. Ram Nath has 4 brothers and 3 sisters and he is the youngest among 5 brothers.
Ram Nath Kovind’s elder brother “Pyarelal” and his extended family members
Ram Nath Kovind married Savita Kovind, a retired government employee, on May 30, 1974. The couple has a son, Prashanth Kumar, who is an employee of a private airline, and a daughter, Swati Kovind, who is integrated with Air India Department work.
Ram Nath Kovind with his daughter (far left), wife (left), son (right), daughter-in-law (far right) and grandson with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Profession
After completing his legal profession, he worked as an advocate for about 16 years, providing free legal services to the poor and needy people of Delhi. From 1977 to 1978, he served as personal assistant to Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
Kovind joined the BJP in 1991 as its national spokesperson and contested the Lok Sabha elections from Ghatanpur and Borganipur constituencies in Kanpur Nagar district, but lost both times. Later, he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1994, representing Uttar Pradesh for two consecutive terms, 1994 and 2000, and served in the panel till March 2006. As a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he served as its president. Chairman of the Scheduled Castes Dalit Morcha and All India Koli Samaj of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 1998 to 2002.
constitutional office
governor
On August 8, 2015, he was sworn in as the governor of Bihar by the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and served until June 2017, when he was nominated by the ruling National Development Alliance Assuming the Presidency.
president of india
Kovind defeated the United Progressive Alliance candidate Meera Kumar with 66% of the vote and won the highest constitutional position in India – the President of India. He was appointed as the 14th President of India in July 2017. In July 2022, Droupadi Murmu succeeded him as the President of India. India, she was sworn in as the 15th President of India on July 25, 2022.
With an illustrious background in the legal field, Shri Kovind’s knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 19, 2017
Salary/Pension
He receives a pension of Rs. As the former President of India, he earns Rs 2.5 lakh per month. He is also entitled to office expenses up to Rs 1 lakh per annum.
fact
- Kovind became interested in politics after he met Jana Sangh leader Hukum Chand (from Ujjain) while traveling to Delhi to prepare for the Civil Services Examination.
- Ram Nath Kovind is famous for donating his ancestral home in Derapur to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
- Through the MPLAD scheme, Kovind emphasized on the development of educational infrastructure in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
- He has served on the Parliamentary Committee on Scheduled Castes/Tribes Welfare, the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs, the Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment, the Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice and the Presidential Committee of the House of Commons.
- In October 2002, he spoke on behalf of India at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
- On September 1, 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the One Nation One Election Committee; the committee was established to synchronize the Lok Sabha and State Assembly election schedules in all states to reduce the frequency of elections across the country.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education