Margaret Alva
| Margaret Alva | |
|---|---|
| 29th Governor of Rajasthan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 12 May 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Shivraj Patil |
| 4th Governor of Uttarakhand | |
| In office 19 July 2009 – 28 April 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Banwari Lal Joshi |
| Succeeded by | Aziz Qureshi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 April 1942 Mangalore |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Children | 3 son(s) and 1 daughter |
| Alma mater | Mt. Carmel College and Government Law College, Bangalore |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Margaret Alva (born 14 April 1942), née Margaret Nazareth, is the governor of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Before this appointment, she was governor of Uttarakhand.[1] Alva became Uttarakhand's first woman governor in July 2009.[2] She took over from Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, who was holding an additional charge of that state. She is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and was Secretary General of the All India Congress Committee.[3][4]
Career
Margaret Alva was the general secretary of the Indian National Congress, the oldest political party in India, and a close adviser to the president of the Indian National Congress, Sonia Gandhi. Alva was removed from her position in Congress Party following her allegations on the functioning of the party pertaining to the cash-for-votes scandal.
A five-term member of the Indian parliament from 1974 to 2004, she has been appointed as advisor to the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training, a body set up to improve the standards of legislative functions in the National Parliament and State Assemblies. She has spearheaded four major legislative amendments passed by the Indian parliament involving women's rights, marriage laws, equal remuneration and the reservation of quotas for women in local politics.[2] Ms. Alva also helped draft the blueprint for policies ensuring the empowerment of women, which has been adopted by India's central and state governments. In 2003, she was honored by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa for playing an important role in garnering support for the people of South Africa during their struggle for freedom and against apartheid. Ms. Alva is a former Minister of Human Resource Development under the government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, which was responsible for harnessing and promoting the potential of India's massive population.
A lawyer by profession, she was conferred an honorary doctorate in literature by the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. She is the founder president of NGO "Karuna." Whilst serving in Uttarakhand, she was instrumental in the promotion of an open women's prison in Haldwani.[5]
As governor of Rajasthan, Alva has pushed for, among other things, reforms in administration of higher education and close monitoring of the budget for tribal districts of the State. She has also, time and again, sought to sensitize the society to the plight of women and children.[6]
Personal life
Born to Pascal Ambrose Nazareth and Elizabeth Nazareth in Mangalore, Alva moved to Bangalore to pursue her studies. She graduated with a BA, B.L., Hon. Doctorate at Mount Carmel College Bangalore and University Law College, Bangalore (then known as Government Law College). She started her professional career as an advocate.
She married Niranjan Alva on 24 May 1964, with whom she has one daughter and three sons, including Niret Alva and Nikhil Alva who co-founded Miditech, a Rs 50-crore television software company, in 1992.[7] Niranjan Alva is the son of freedom fighters and the first couple in the Indian Parliament, Joachim Alva and Violet Alva.[8]
Controversy
In November 2008, Alva charged that Congress seats for the elections in Karnataka were up for bidding as opposed to a meritocratic appointment to run for office. The party responded to the charge by denying such a claim. After a meeting with the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Alva resigned resulting in her being dropped as general secretary of the party, the Congress Working Committee and the party's Central Election Committee. She was stripped of her charge of the Congress Party in Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Mizoram. Congress spokesperson, Shakeel Ahmad, added that "Congress President Mrs Sonia Gandhi has taken the decision on the report submitted by Mr AK Antony, chairperson of the Disciplinary Action Committee."[9] This corroborated an outburst by the son of the congress chairperson, Rahul Gandhi, that "Democracy in political parties is non-existent in India. You cannot enter unless you are well connected." In response to the recent allegations, however, he said, "I had made some recommendations to include some younger boys. I am not unhappy with the distribution of tickets."[10] Alva, who was appointed Governor of Uttarkhand in 2009, apparently patched up her differences with Congress leadership. She has declined to go into details of the 2008 controversy even as her resignation letter continues to be a subject of media speculation.[11]
References
- ↑ "Margaret Alva sworn in as Rajasthan Governor". Bureaucracy Today (in English). May 14, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Alva given ceremonial send-off". Garhwal Post (in English). May 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Smt. Margaret Alva,: Bio-sketch". Parliament of India website.
- ↑ "Rajya Sabha Members Biographical Sketches 1952 – 2003 :A". Rajya Sabha website.
- ↑ "I will carry Uttarakhand in my heart forever: Margaret Alva". The Pioneer (in English). May 1, 2012.
- ↑ "No One Messes with Margaret". India Today. Living Media India Limited. July 29, 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ↑ "Miditech moves on". Business Standard. 29 September 2004.
- ↑ A stamp in memory of Joachim and Violet Alva Rediff.com, 20 November 2008.
- ↑ "Cong cuts Alva down to size". The Statesman. The Statesman Ltd. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ↑ "'No democracy in Indian parties'". The Statesman. The Statesman Ltd. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ↑ "My book will reveal why I quit the AICC: Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva". India Today. Living Media India Limited. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- Lobo, Michael (2000). Distinguished Mangalorean Catholics, 1800–2000: a historico-biographical survey of the Mangalorean Catholic community. Camelot Publishers. ISBN 978-81-87609-01-8.
