President Droupadi Murmu has nominated four newly reputed personalities for the Rajya Sabha. These include senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam, former Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla, famous historian Dr. Meenakshi Jain and Kerala social worker C. Sadanandan Master. Under Article 80 of the Indian Constitution, Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of Parliament, can be up to a maximum of 250 members. Of these, 238 members are elected from states and union territories, while 12 members nominate the President. These nominations are given to such persons who have made significant contribution in areas like literature, science, art or social service.
Who is Dr. Meenakshi Jain?
Dr. Meenakshi Jain is a well-known historian of India, whose work has been mainly focused on the cultural and religious processes of medieval and colonial India. She has been an Associate Professor of History at Gargi College, University of Delhi. Apart from this, he has also served as a Fellow in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and a member of the Council of Historical Research (ICHR). Currently, he is a senior fellow of the Indian Social Science Research Council (ICSSR).
Was awarded Padma Shri in the year 2020
His research books have often been at the center of historical discourse and have been questioning the topics of national importance. She has been challenging the attitude of historians like Romila Thapar and Satish Chandra. Dr. Meenakshi Jain’s arrival in Rajya Sabha is considered to be the result of that ideological struggle. It is also being called a reward of ‘politics of change’ in Indian history writing. In the year 2020, he was awarded the Padma Shri honor by the Government of India for his historical research and writing.
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