QUICK FACTS

 Born on        :    19 November , 1917

 Birth Place   :    Allahabad , India

 Father            :    Jawaharlal Nehru ( first prime minister of india )

 Mother          :    kamala Nehru

 Religion        :    Hindu  

 Education     :     University of Oxford
                             Badminton School
                             Somerville College
                             Oxford
                             Visva-Bharati University

 Died on         :      31 October , 1984

 Death Place   :     New delhi , India

 Children        :      Rajiv Gandhi , Sanjay Gandhi

 Awards          :     Bharat ratna, Jawaharlal Nehru  Award for International Understanding,
                              lenin peace prize.

CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE

• Born as Indira Nehru to Jawaharlal Nehru,
  independent India’s first Prime Minister,
  and Kamla Nehru, she was the only child
  of the couple, a younger brother dying
  in infancy.

• Unlike others, her childhood wasn’t a happy
  one, as her father was mostly away from home
  due to his political commitments and her
  mother frequently suffered from bouts of
  illness.                                                                                                                

•  She attained her preliminary education at
   home after which she briefly attended school
   to complete her matriculation. Indira was
   enrolled at the Viswa Bharti University in
   Calcutta but had to leave the same due to
   the ailing health of her mother in Europe.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
  
•  Post the death of her mother, Indira attended the University of Oxford in Britain, where
   she studied history, political science and  economics. However, due to her constant
   ill-health,she returned to India without a degree.

POLITICAL PURSUITS

• After the death of her father in 1964, Indira
  Gandhi was appointed as a member of the
  Rajya Sabha. She also became one of the
  members of Lal Bahadur Shastri's cabinet,
  serving as the Minister of Information
  and Broadcasting.

• The untimely death of Lal Bahadur Shastri 
  saw numerous contenders for the position 
  of the Prime Minister. However, unable to 
  come to a single conclusion, Indira Gandhi 
  was chosen as the compromised candidate 
  as they thought her to be easily manageable. 
  She became the Prime Minister of India in 
  January 1966.

• Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India and continued to serve the same 
  until 1977. As the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi showed exceptional political skills 
  and resolve and drove out many senior Congressmen out of the party and power. 
  This led to internal dissent in the party, leading to a split in the Indian National Congress in 1969.

AS PRIME MINISTER

• During her term as Prime Minister, Gandhi brought about a radical change in the country’s economic, political, international and national policies. She oversaw the implementation of over three Five-year plans - two of which were successful in meeting the targeted growth.

• One of her crucial economic decisions included the nationalization of fourteen major commercial banks. The move proved to be fruitful as it improved the geographical coverage of banks with the number of branches rising from 8200 to 62000. Furthermore, the nationalization of banks increased household savings and saw investment in small and medium-sized enterprises and agricultural sector.

• She then nationalized the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles, and insurance industries.The main aim of this move was to protect employment and secure the interest of the organised labor. As for the private sector industries, she brought them under strict regulatory control.

• Gandhi even nationalized the oil companies after the 1971 war against Pakistan when India faced oil crises. With this, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and the Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) were formed. The oil companies had to keep a minimum stock level of oil, to be supplied to the military at the time of need.

• It was during Gandhi’s premiership that Green Revolution brought remarkable change in the agricultural production in India. She changed the course of the nation - from an import dependent country, India could now manage a decent portion of its demands from domestic production. She mainly targeted at growth with stability and progressive achievement of self-reliance.

• In 1971, Gandhi supported the East Pakistan in the Pakistan Civil War, which led to the formation of Bangladesh. This helped India bring the Himalayan states under the influence of the country.While Nepal and Bhutan remained aligned to India, Sikkim was incorporated as an Indian state in 1975, through a referendum.

• Under the administrative policy of Gandhi, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh were given statehood. As for Chandigarh and Arunachal Pradesh, both were declared a union territory.

• While Indira Gandhi shared strong ties with Soviet Union, her relationship with the US was a strained one. During her premiership, she also maintained close ties with Bangladesh but the same continued only until 1975. Post the assassination of Bangladesh Prime Minister, Shiekh Mujibur Rahman, the ties between India and Bangladesh soured.

• During her term as the Prime Minister, Gandhi worked hard to normalize relations and reopen diplomatic establishments between India and Pakistan. Though Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had agreed for the same, the rise to power of General Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan in 1978 caused an absolute downfall, marring all efforts of better relations.

• Gandhi’s ties with the Southeast Asian countries were strained, due to her pro-Soviet tilt and ASEAN’s pro-American ties. However, the same was revived following Gandhi's endorsement of the ZOPFAN declaration and the disintegration of the SEATO alliance, but it did not do much to strengthen the ties.

• Gandhi also brought social reforms by introducing clauses in the Indian Constitution related to wages - equal pay for equal work to both men and women.