Woman sarpanch from West Godavari district, Kunuku Hemakumari, would participate in the side event at the 57th Commission on Population and Development (CPD) meet organised by the UN Economic and Social Council in New York, USA, on May 3. She has been nominated by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which is co-hosting the side event along with the Permanent Mission of India there and the and the UN Population Fund at the UN Secretariat Building.
Discussions would take place there on the theme, 'Localizing the SDGs: Women in Local Governance in India, Lead the Way'. Hemakumari would be leaving for the US on May 1, this being her first foreign visit. “There will a panel discussion with three elected women representatives from India, who would share their success stories and work done in their respective panchayats towards gender equality and development.
Three states namely Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura have been selected by the panchayat raj ministry to nominate one each elected women representative to represent India at the UN event. Hema Kumari's selection to represent her community at this global forum comes as a recognition of her outstanding efforts and achievements in women empowerment since the time she assumed the office in April 2021
“Through her visionary leadership, Pekeru Grama Panchayat has emerged as a shining example of grassroots initiatives driving sustainable development and gender equality. As Sarpanch, Hema Kumari has spearheaded transformative initiatives focusing on three crucial pillars: health, education and financial independence,” an official release here on Tuesday said. She initiated regular health camps and educational programmes to raise awareness about proper nutrition and prenatal care. This resulted in a significant reduction in high-risk pregnancy cases and infant mortality rates.
The two other women representatives attending the UN event from India are Supriya Das Datta, Sabhadhipati (chairperson) of Sepahijala Zilla Parishad of Tripura and Neeru Yadav, Sarpanch of gram panchayat Lambi Aheer of Jhunjhunu district, Rajasthan. Hemakumari, an 2022 M Tech holder from JNTU, Kakinada, was elected as Sarpanch of Pekeru gram panchayat of Iragavaram mandal in 2021. She worked as associate lecturer in Electronics and communication engineering for 5 years (2014-2019) at the Sri Mullapudi Venkataraya Memorial Polytechnic (SMVMP) College, Tanuku. She is currently the president of the Mandal Sarpanch Chamber and general secretary of the Zilla Sarpanch Chamber
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