Source: FE
Context: The Government of India has constituted a high-level committee chaired by PM to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India.
About Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel:
- Who he was?
- Freedom fighter, statesman, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
- Known as the “Iron Man of India” for his role in uniting princely states.
- Born in:
- October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, Gujarat, into a humble Lewa Patidar agricultural family.
- Background:
- Initially worked as a lawyer, later studied at Middle Temple, London.
- Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi during Kheda Satyagraha (1918).
- Rose as a mass leader through Bardoli Satyagraha (1928), earning the title Sardar.
- Contribution to Freedom Movement:
- Key organiser of Kheda and Bardoli Satyagrahas, mobilising peasants against unjust taxation.
- Active role in Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements, enduring multiple imprisonments.
- Presided over the 1931 Karachi Session of Congress that endorsed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
- Works in Post-Independence India:
- Architect of Integration of 562 princely states into the Union of India, reducing them to 26 administrative units.
- Played a crucial role in handling Partition violence and refugee rehabilitation.
- Strengthened Indian administration by creating the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
- Known for his efficiency in restoring law and order and building the framework of a unified India.
