List of “First Women in India” across various fields, with names, years, and significance.
Politics & Governance
- First Woman President of India – Pratibha Patil (2007)
- First Woman Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi (1966)
- First Woman Governor of India – Sarojini Naidu (1947, Uttar Pradesh)
- First Woman Chief Minister of an Indian State – Sucheta Kripalani (1963, Uttar Pradesh)
- First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha – Meira Kumar (2009)
- First Woman Minister in Independent India – Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (1947, Health Minister)
- First Woman Finance Minister of India – Nirmala Sitharaman (2019)
- First Woman External Affairs Minister of India – Sushma Swaraj (2014)
- First Woman President of the Indian National Congress – Annie Besant (1917)
- First Woman Chief Election Commissioner – V.S. Ramadevi (1990)
- First Woman Member of Parliament – Radhabai Subbarayan (1952)
- First Woman Mayor in India – Tara Cherian (1957, Madras)
Judiciary & Law
- First Woman Judge of the Supreme Court – Justice Fathima Beevi (1989)
- First Woman Chief Justice of a High Court – Justice Leila Seth (1991, Himachal Pradesh HC)
- First Woman Attorney General of India – Indira Jaising (2009)
- First Woman Solicitor General of India – Indira Jaising (2013)
- First Woman District Judge in India – Anna Chandy (1937, Travancore)
- First Woman Advocate in India – Cornelia Sorabji (1923)
Science & Technology
- First Woman Engineer of India – Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha (1943)
- First Indian Woman in Space – Kalpana Chawla (1997, NASA)
- First Woman to Head the Indian Meteorological Department – Dr. Sulochana Gadgil
- First Woman Director General of CSIR – Dr. N. Kalaiselvi (2022)
- First Indian Woman to Receive a PhD in Science – Asima Chatterjee (1944, Chemistry)
- First Indian Woman to Win the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award – Dr. Archana Sharma
- First Woman Director General of DRDO – Dr. Tessy Thomas (2018)
Military & Defense
- First Woman Air Force Officer to Fly in Combat – Gunjan Saxena (1999, Kargil War)
- First Woman Officer to Lead an Army Contingent in Republic Day Parade – Lt. Bhavana Kasturi (2019)
- First Woman to Become a Lieutenant General – Punita Arora (2004)
- First Woman Fighter Pilot in IAF – Avani Chaturvedi (2016)
- First Woman in Border Security Force (BSF) – Tanushree Pareek (2017)
Sports
- First Indian Woman to Win an Olympic Medal – Karnam Malleswari (2000, Weightlifting)
- First Indian Woman to Win an Individual Gold at Olympics – Neeraj Chopra (though a male athlete, Mirabai Chanu won silver in 2020, setting a milestone for women in weightlifting)
- First Indian Woman to Climb Mount Everest – Bachendri Pal (1984)
- First Woman to Win a Grand Slam Title – Sania Mirza (2009, Australian Open Mixed Doubles)
- First Woman to Win an International Gold Medal in Boxing – Mary Kom
- First Indian Woman Cricketer to Score 200 in an ODI – Mithali Raj
- First Indian Woman to Swim Across the English Channel – Arati Saha (1959)
Arts & Literature
- First Woman to Win Jnanpith Award – Ashapoorna Devi (1976)
- First Indian Woman to Receive Bharat Ratna – Indira Gandhi (1971)
- First Woman to Direct a Feature Film in India – Fatma Begum (1926)
- First Indian Woman Booker Prize Winner – Arundhati Roy (1997, The God of Small Things)
- First Woman to Win the Sahitya Akademi Award – Amrita Pritam
Media & Entertainment
- First Indian Woman Journalist – Homai Vyarawalla (India’s first photojournalist)
- First Woman Music Director in Indian Cinema – Usha Khanna
- First Woman Newsreader on Doordarshan – Pratima Puri
Social Work & Activism
- First Indian Woman to Win the Nobel Prize – Mother Teresa (1979, Peace)
- First Woman to Receive Ashoka Chakra – Neerja Bhanot (1987)
- First Indian Woman to Head the UN General Assembly – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1953)
Business & Corporate World
- First Woman CEO of a Foreign Bank in India – Naina Lal Kidwai
- First Woman Chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI) – Arundhati Bhattacharya
- First Woman Managing Director of LIC – Usha Sangwan
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