VIJAYAWADA: A woman village head of Kunuku Hemakumari in West Godavari district will be participating in a side event at the 57th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) meeting organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in New York, US on May 3.
She was nominated by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which is co-organising the side event.
Permanent Mission of India and the United Nations Population Fund at the United Nations Secretariat Building.
A discussion will be held there on the theme “Localising the SDGs: Women Taking the Lead in Local Governance in India.”
Hemakumari is scheduled to leave for the US on May 1, marking her first ever foreign visit. “There will be a panel discussion of three women representatives from India who will share their success stories and work towards gender equality and development in their respective panchayats,” she said.
The Ministry of Panchayat Raj has selected three states — Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura — to nominate one elected woman delegate each to represent India at UN events.
Hema Kumari’s selection to represent her community at this international forum is in recognition of the outstanding efforts and achievements she has demonstrated towards women empowerment since assuming office in April 2021.
“Through her visionary leadership, Peker Grama Panchayat has emerged as a shining example of grassroots activism promoting sustainable development and gender equality. As Sarpanch, Hema Kumari has spearheaded a transformative movement focused on three key pillars — health, education and financial independence,” an official release said on Tuesday.
She launched regular health camps and education programmes to create awareness about proper nutrition and antenatal care, resulting in a significant reduction in cases of high-risk pregnancies and infant mortality.
The other two women delegates from India attending the UN event are Supriya Das Dutta, sabadipati (chairman) of Tripura’s Sepahijala Zilla Parishad, and Neel Yadav, sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Lambi Ahir in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district.
Hemakumari has completed her M Tech in 2022 from JNTU, Kakinada and was elected Sarpanch of Pekeru Gram Panchayat, Ilagavaram district in 2021. She worked as an Associate Lecturer in Electronics and Communication Engineering at Sri Mullapudi Venkataraya Memorial Technological College (SMVMP), Tanuku for five years (2014-2019).
She is currently the president of Mandal Sarpanch Chamber of Commerce and Industry and general secretary of Zilla Sarpanch Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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