Manipur Governor, Najma Heptulla appointed as Jamia Chancellor

Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla has been unanimously appointed as the Chancellor (Amir-e-Jamia) of Jamia Millia Islamia for a five year term by the University’s Court (Anjuman).  She succeeds Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.A. Zaki, who will complete his five-year term this month. Appointment of Najma Heptulla was confirmed by Tala Ahmad, the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia.

Political Career of Najma Heptulla:

Heptulla was born on April 13, 1940 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.She has been a five-time member of the Rajya Sabha, and it’s Deputy Chairman for 16 years.

• In year 2004, Ms. Heptulla joined Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier she was with Indian National Congress.
• Before being appointed as the Governor of Manipur, she was the Minister of Minority Affairs in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.
• In year 1993, Ms. Heptulla presided over the women’s parliamentarians’ group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
• She held the post of President of IPU from 1999 to 2002. IPUis a Geneva, Switzerland-based global inter-parliamentary institution established in 1889.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had appointed Ms. Heptulla as its Human Development Ambassador.
• Heptullah is the grand neice of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a noted scholar and India’s first education minister

About Jamia Millia Islamia:

Jamia Millia Islamia is a public central university located in Delhi.

• It was established by Muslim leaders during British rule in 1920. Ali Brothers,Moulana Mohammad Ali Jouhar and Moulana Shaukat Ali played an important role in setting up this university.
• In 1988, it was conferred the status of Central University by an act of theIndian Parliament.
• Jamia Millia Islamia has one of the finest libraries in India, which has been set up from the fund donated by Sultan of Saudi Arabia in year 2006.