New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended heartfelt birthday wishes to Union Minister Annapurna Devi on Sunday, commending her contributions to empowering women and the youth.

Taking to the social media platform X, PM Modi shared a post celebrating her efforts, writing, “Birthday wishes to Union Minister Annapurna Devi Ji. She is at the forefront of empowering our Nari Shakti and ensuring the welfare of our Yuva Shakti. May she be blessed with a long and healthy life.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also joined in honouring the minister on her special day, wishing her good health and long life. In his post, he wrote, “Heartiest birthday wishes to Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. @Annapurna4BJP ji. I pray to God for your good health and long life.”

Annapurna Devi, a prominent political figure, has a long history in public service. Initially associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), she began her political career after being elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in a 1998 by-election following the sudden death of her husband, RJD lawmaker Ramesh Yadav.

She also served as the Minister of State (MoS) for Mines and Geology in the undivided Bihar government.

In 2019, Devi switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. She contested from Jharkhand's Koderma and won, defeating Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik).

In 2024, she retained her seat with a significant margin of nearly 400,000 votes, defeating CPI(ML)L's Vinod Kumar Singh.

Devi was inducted into the Narendra Modi government, serving as the Minister of State for Education in 2021, and has been recognised for her efforts to strengthen the education sector and champion the rights of women and children.