History file 2: Firsts in India

Women
Firsts in India - Women
The first Indian woman to be awarded the Bharat Ratna - Smt
Indira Gandhi.
The first lady Governor of an Indian state was Smt Sarojini
Naidu.
The first lady Chief Minister of State was Smt Sucheta
Kripalani.
The first lady Central minister of the country was Smt
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.
The first woman president of the Indian National Congress was
Annie Besant.
The first woman to become the Chief Election Commissioner
was Mrs Rama Devi.
The first woman to be appointed Chief Justice of a state High
Court was Justice Leila Seth.
The first woman to be appointed judge of the Supreme Court
was Justice M Fatima Beevi.
The first woman to be appointed the Speaker of Lok Sabha is
Mrs Meira Kumar.
The first woman president of UN General Assembly - Mrs
Vijayalaxmi Pandit.
The first Indian woman to swim the English Channel was Aarti
Saha.
The first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal was Karnam
Malleswari.
The first Indian woman to win an Asiad medal - Kamaljit
Sandhu.
The first Indian woman to climb Mt Everest - Bachendri Pal.
The first Indian woman to receive a gallantry award in the
Indian Army (Sena Medal for her acts of bravery in
Afghanistan) - Major Mitali Madhumita.
The first Indian woman to win the Miss Asia-Pacific title -
Zeenat Aman.
The first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe title -
Sushmita Sen.
The first Indian woman to win the Miss World title - Reita
Faria.
The first Indian woman to win the Miss Earth title - Nicol Faria.
The first Indian woman to join the Territorial Army as a jawan -
Shanti Tigga.
The first Indian woman to be appointed as the Chief
Information Commissioner - Deepak Sandhu.
The first Indian woman to be appointed as the Minister of
External Affairs of India - Sushma Swaraj. (Note: Mrs. Indira
Gandhi held the additional charge as Minister of External
Affairs while being the Prime Minister of India.)
The first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole - Reena Kaushal
DharmaShaktu

First Appointees of India

1st President Dr. Rajendra Prasad
1st Vice-President Dr. S Radhakrishnan
1st Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru
1st Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel
1st Railway Minister John Mathai
1st Defence Minister Sardar Baldev Singh
1st Finance Minister RK Shanmugam Chetty
1st External Affairs Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
1st Law Minister Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
1st Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
1st Governor General (Indian) C Rajagopalachari
1st Governor General
Lord Mountbatten
(Independent India)
1st Chief Justice of India Harilal J Kania
1st Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen
1st Chief Information
Wajahat Habibullah
Commissioner
1st Central Vigilance
N Srinivasa Rau
Commissioner
1st Attorney General M.C. Setalvad
1st Speaker of Lok Sabha G.V. Mavalankar
1st Cabinet Secretary
1st Chief of Army Staff
1st Chief of Air Staff
1st Chief of Naval Staff
N.R. Pillai
Gen Rajendra Singhji
Air Marshall Thomas
Elmhirst
Vice Admiral RD Katari

Men

1. First Indian to swim across the English Channel: Mihir Sen

2. First to Climb Mount Everest: Tenzing Norgay

3. First Indian to join I.C.S.(ICS now is IAS): Satyendra Nath Tagore

4. First Indian to get Nobel Prize: Rabindranath Tagore

5. First Indian in Space (first Indian cosmonaut) : Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma

6. First British Governor General: Warren Hastings

7. First Governor General of Free India: Lord Mountbatten

8. First Viceroy of India: Lord Canning

9. Last Governor General of Free India: C. Rajagopalachari

10. First President of Indian National Congress: W.C.Bannerjee

11. First Indian to become President of International Court of Justice: Dr

Nagendra Singh

12. First Indian in British Parliament: Dadabhai Naoroii

13. First Indian to make a solo air flight: J.R.D. Tata

14. First Indian to visit England: Raja Rammohan Roy (1878)