Preneet Kaur
Preneet Kaur was born on 03.10.1944 in Shimla in a land owning Punjabi Jat family. Her father Gian
Singh Kahlon was an Indian Civil Service Officer. She completed her education by graduating from the
Convent of Jesus & Mary, Shimla. She was married to Capt. Amrinder Singh (of the Royal Family of Patiala)
in October 1964. As her husband entered the politics after his Army career, she too contested the General
Election in 1999 and became Member of Parliament from Patiala Constituency. Since then she has become
Member of Parliament twice in 2004 and 2009. When Congress Party came into power in 1999, she being
a Congress MP served in various committees such as those on Food, Civil Supplies and Public distribution,
Women Empowerment, Public Undertakings and Water Resources. She also served on the Consultative
Committees attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. In the next
term when she became MP in 2009, during the UPA-2 Govt., she was made a Minister of State (MOS) in the
Ministry of External Affairs. In this capacity, she visited a number of countries to deal with various matters
including the Turban Issue of Sikhs in France.
Maharani as she is now known after her marriage in the royal family, is known for her qualities of head
and heart. She is kind hearted, courteous and soft spoken. Her interest in the welfare activities is evidenced
by the fact that prior to entering politics, she was instrumental in founding Sanjeevani, an Institution in
Patiala for differently abled children. It is her concern for such children and her humility inspite of her
status and position, which make her a role model in this regard. She is living with her family and Family
Palatial House at Patiala.
