Sumati Oraon

Sumati Oraon (born 15 February 1935) is an Indian Politician belonging to the Indian National Congress. Her birthplace was Simdega, in village Gumla in the state Bihar, now Jharkhand. She was the Union Minister of State, Welfare (1987–88), Union Minister of State, Environment and Forests(1988–89). She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Lohardaga constituency of Bihar now in Jharkhand first in a 1982 bye election and again in 1984, with 47% of votes and 1989 with 59.17% of votes.[1][2][3] Sumati Oraon lost the election in the year 1991 to Lalit Oraon who won by a margin of 14.6%. Oraon worked especially for the upliftment of the tribals her constituency under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi from the year 1984 to 1989. Oraon wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister, PV Narsimha Rao sometime during his tenure in the years 1991 to 1996 regarding the condition of the villagers of Sekuapani, a village in Gumla where the artillery shells of army practice drill fell, sometimes hurting the residents. The proposal of a permanent army cantonment in the area was opposed in the area.[4]