Ram Nath Kovind facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ram Nath Kovind
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Official portrait, 2017
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| President of India | |
| In office 25 July 2017 – 25 July 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Vice President | |
| Preceded by | Pranab Mukherjee |
| Succeeded by | Droupadi Murmu |
| Governor of Bihar | |
| In office 16 August 2015 – 21 June 2017 |
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| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Keshari Nath Tripathi |
| Succeeded by | Keshari Nath Tripathi |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 3 April 1994 – 2 April 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Subramanian Swamy |
| Succeeded by | Vinay Katiyar |
| Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 October 1945 Paraunkh, United Provinces, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse |
Savita Kovind
(m. 1974) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residences | 12 Janpath, New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | Kanpur University (B.Com., LL.B.) |
| Occupation |
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| Awards | See below |
| Signature |  |
Ram Nath Kovind (born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician and lawyer. He served as the President of India from 2017 to 2022. He was the first person from the state of Uttar Pradesh to become president. He was also the first president from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Before becoming president, he was the Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017. He also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2006. Before entering politics, he worked as a lawyer for 16 years. He practiced law in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India until 1993.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kovind was born on 1 October 1945, in Paraunkh village in the Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. This was during the time when India was under British Raj (British rule). He was the youngest of seven children in his family. His father, Maiku Lal, was a farmer and ran a shop. His mother, Kalawati, was a homemaker.
Kovind's family lived in a simple mud hut. When he was only five years old, his mother died in a fire that destroyed their home. Later, Kovind gave the land where his childhood home stood to his community.
For his early schooling, he had to walk about 8 km (5.0 mi) every day to a nearby village. This was because no one in his village had a bicycle. He earned a bachelor's degree in commerce and a law degree (LLB) from DAV College, Kanpur.
Career Beginnings
Becoming a Lawyer
After finishing his law degree, Kovind moved to Delhi. He wanted to prepare for the civil services exam, which helps people get important government jobs. He passed this exam on his third try. Instead of joining the top administrative service, he chose to practice law.
Kovind became a lawyer in 1971. He worked as a government lawyer in the Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979. During this time, he also served as a personal assistant to the Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai. In 1978, he became a lawyer who could argue cases in the Supreme Court of India. He worked for the government in the Supreme Court from 1980 to 1993. As a lawyer, he often helped people who were poor or from weaker sections of society for free.
Starting in Politics
Kovind joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1991. The BJP is one of India's major political parties. He led the BJP's Dalit Morcha, a group for people from disadvantaged communities, from 1998 to 2002. He also served as a national spokesperson for the party. He even donated his family home in Paraunkh to a community organization.
Kovind ran for election to the state assembly twice, in 1997 and 2007, but he did not win. In 1997, he joined protests against government orders that affected workers from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. These protests led to changes in the Constitution of India that helped these groups.
Serving in Parliament
In April 1994, Kovind was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh. The Rajya Sabha is one of the two houses of India's Parliament. He served two terms, for a total of twelve years, until March 2006. As an MP, he worked on committees dealing with welfare, home affairs, and law. He also chaired the Rajya Sabha House Committee.
During his time as an MP, Kovind focused on improving education in rural areas. He helped build school buildings in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He also traveled to many countries, including Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Germany, and the United States, to learn about their systems.
Other Important Roles
Kovind also served on the management board of Dr. B.R Ambedkar University in Lucknow. He was also on the Board of Governors for IIM Calcutta, a famous business school. In October 2002, he represented India at the United Nations General Assembly.
Governor of Bihar (2015–2017)
On 8 August 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Kovind as the Governor of Bihar. A governor is like the head of a state in India, representing the President. On 16 August 2015, he took his oath as the 26th governor of Bihar.
Some people, including the Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, initially criticized Kovind's appointment. This was because it happened without consulting the state government. However, Kovind's time as governor was praised. He set up a special group to look into problems in universities, like unfair promotions and appointments. In June 2017, when he was chosen as a candidate for president, Nitish Kumar supported him. Kumar praised Kovind for being fair and working well with the state government.
Presidential Election
After being nominated for the post of the 14th president of India, Kovind resigned from his role as Governor of Bihar on 20 June 2017. He won the presidential election on 20 July 2017.
Kovind received about 65.65% of the votes. His opponent, Meira Kumar, received about 34.35% of the votes. He became the first BJP candidate with a background in the RSS (a large volunteer organization) to be elected president.
Presidency (2017–2022)
Ram Nath Kovind took the oath as the 14th president of India on 25 July 2017. During his five-year term, he spoke to the Parliament of India five times. He also administered the oath of office to three Chief Justices of India and 29 other judges of the Supreme Court of India. He was succeeded by Droupadi Murmu on 21 July 2022.
After Presidency
Committee on "One Nation, One Election"
In September 2023, the Government of India created an 8-member committee. Ram Nath Kovind was chosen to lead this committee. The committee's main job is to suggest changes to the constitution. These changes would allow for elections to be held at the same time across the country. This idea is called "One Nation, One Election." The committee is looking into how to make this possible by changing laws like the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Personal Life
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Ram Nath Kovind married Savita on 30 May 1974. They have two children: a son named Prashant Kumar and a daughter named Swati. Swati works as an air hostess for Air India.
Awards and Honours
Kovind has received several awards and honours from different countries:
Madagascar:
National Order of Madagascar, Grand Cross 2nd Class (14 March 2018)
Equatorial Guinea:
Order of Independence, Grand Collar (8 April 2018)
Eswatini:
Order of the Lion, Collar (9 April 2018)
Croatia:
Grand Order of King Tomislav (26 March 2019)
Bolivia:
Order of the Condor of the Andes, Grand Collar (26 March 2019)
Guinea:
National Order of Merit, Grand Cross (3 August 2019)
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See also
In Spanish: Ram Nath Kovind para niños
- Presidency of Ram Nath Kovind
- President of India
