108th Birth Anniversary of Indira Gandhi:
India paid tributes to former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi at Shakti Sthal, her memorial site in New Delhi on the occasion of her 108th birth anniversary. Born on 19th November 1917 in Allahabad to Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru, Indira Gandhi became India’s first and only woman Prime Minister, serving from 1966–1977 and again from 1980 -1984. Role in the Freedom Struggle: In her childhood, she founded the ‘Bal Charkha Sangh’ and in 1930, the ‘Vanar Sena’ of children to help the Congress party during the Non-Cooperation Movement.She was imprisoned during the Quit India Movement in 1942.Indira Gandhi nationalised 14 major banks to expand credit access, support rural development and align banking with social welfare goals.During Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969–1974), she promoted High Yielding Variety seeds, fertiliser and irrigation subsidies aimed at boosting foodgrain production and helping India achieve food self-sufficiency.Led India’s decisive intervention supporting Mukti Bahini, resulting in the creation of Bangladesh and showcasing India’s geopolitical strength. Indira Gandhi’s tenure saw the imposition of National Emergency citing “internal disturbances,” during which civil liberties were suspended and the press was censored.
