Meet eye surgeon Baljit Kaur, the only woman sworn in as Punjab minister today

Baljit Kaur (centre) with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann with her cabinet colleagues. (Image credit: Twitter/@AAP Punjab)

Ten Aam Aadmi Party MLAs took oath as ministers in Bhagwant Mann’s cabinet on March 19. Among them was only one woman -- Baljit Kaur.

Kaur had won the election from the Malout constituency in Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib district with a tally of more than 77,000 votes. She was up against Shiromani Akali Dal’s Harpreet Singh and Congress candidate Rupinder Kaur Ruby.

Baljit Kaur, an eye surgeon, worked at the Muktsar civil hospital before making a political debut, news agency PTI reported.

Kaur is the daughter of Sadhu Singh, who was the Aam Aadmi Party’s MLA from Faridkot from 2014 to 2019.

Kaur decided to enter politics after realising that Punjab’s healthcare system needed extensive changes, The Indian Express reported.

“I was posted at the civil hospital, Muktsar for many years where I used to work hard to organise medical camps for people," Kaur had told the newspaper in an interview before the Punjab elections. "It was during my work that I felt the need for sweeping changes in the health system. People used to share their other problems as well. That is when I decided to become part of this system.”

Her father’s political career also served as an influence. Kaur added that after retiring from the hospital, she wanted to set up her own organisation but AAP leaders insisted that she contest the Punjab assembly elections in 2022.

Kaur had added that as a doctor, she would focus on providing affordable healthcare to the people of Punjab.

(With inputs from PTI)