Vision Academy EducareVision Academy Educare
Question 105 of 108 · Famous Personalities & Founders
Questioneasy
This question was previously asked in

SSC

The freedom fighter who, as Chief Minister, abolished the zamindari system in Uttar Pradesh and became Union Home Minister in 1955 was:

Answer View answer ▾

Answer: Option C — Govind Ballabh Pant

Detailed Solution

Govind Ballabh Pant was the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, during whose tenure the zamindari system was abolished in the state. He became Union Home Minister in 1955.

Early life:

  • He was born on 10 September 1887 at Almora in present-day Uttarakhand.
  • He was a lawyer and took part in the freedom movement.

Role in the freedom struggle:

  • He was a leader of the Congress in the United Provinces.
  • He was injured during a protest against the Simon Commission in Lucknow in 1928.
  • He took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement and was imprisoned several times.

Premier and Chief Minister:

  • He was Premier of the United Provinces from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1946.
  • After independence, he became the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, holding the post until 1954.

Zamindari abolition:

  • The Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 was passed during his tenure.
  • It abolished the zamindari system and gave tenants rights over the land they cultivated.
  • It was one of the most important land reform laws in India.

As Union Home Minister:

  • He served as Union Home Minister from 1955 until his death in 1961.
  • He played an important role in the reorganisation of states on a linguistic basis in 1956.
  • He supported the use of Hindi as the official language of the Union.

Honours:

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Legacy:

The G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, and the G.B. Pant Hospital in Delhi are named after him.

Other leaders of Uttar Pradesh:

  • Sampurnanand succeeded him as Chief Minister.
  • Rafi Ahmed Kidwai was a minister in the Union government.
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri was a minister in Pant's UP government before joining the Union Cabinet.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Sampurnanand, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai and Lal Bahadur Shastri held other offices.

Quick tip

Remember: G.B. Pant = first CM of UP, zamindari abolition (1950 Act), Union Home Minister from 1955.

💬 Discussions on this question

Ask a doubt ›

Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.

Ask a doubt

More Famous Personalities & Founders Questions

View all ›
  1. Q1.Who founded the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh?
  2. Q2.Where was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose born?
  3. Q3.Sir C.V. Raman received the Nobel Prize in which field?
  4. Q4.The freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu belonged to which present-day state?
  5. Q5.Who created the famous Rock Garden of Chandigarh?

More General Knowledge Questions

  1. Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
  2. Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
  3. Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
  4. Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
  5. Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms

Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

‹ All Famous Personalities & Founders questionsBrowse all topics ›