K. Hemalata
{{short description|Indian woman politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = K Hemalata at Workers’ Mahapadav in 2017.png
| alt = K Hemalata at Workers’ Mahapadav in 2017
| office = Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
| party = Communist Party of India (Marxist)
| birth_place = Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India
| occupation = Trade unionist
}}
K. Hemalata is an Indian Marxist politician and Central Committee member of Communist Party of India (Marxist). She is the first women to lead a union at national level in the history of trade union movement in India.
Biography
Kandikuppa Hemalatha was born in 1951 in Andhra Pradesh, the eldest of four children of Vaikunda Rao and Shankari.{{Cite web |title=K Hemalata: Determined to Challenge the Male Paradigm |url=https://www.labourfile.com/section-detail.php?aid=581 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=www.labourfile.com |quote=Born in 1951 as the eldest of four children to Vaikunda Rao, an engineer with PWD, and Shankari a housewife, Hemalata completed her studies in Berampur, Orissa.}} She studied in MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur in Odisha. In 1973, Hemalata joined as a doctor in the 'People’s Clinic' of Puchalapalli Sundarayya at Nellore. Since then she was active in Marxist politics as well as started medical practice in Machilipatnam. She became a municipal councilor in 1987 and in 1995 she quit the medical profession, joined in trade union movement as a full timer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2016/state-editions/a-first-woman-elected-citu-president.html|title=A first: Woman elected CITU president|last=Pioneer|first=The|website=The Pioneer|language=en|access-date=2019-07-31}} Hemalata became the State secretary of CITU in Andhra Pradesh. She was also appointed in the post of general secretary of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers for the period from 1998 to 2012. In November 2016 Hemalata was elected as the president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) in its 15th National conference held in Puri.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2016-12-01 |title=K Hemalata - the first woman president in India's trade union history |url=http://naradanews.com/2016/12/k-hemalata-first-woman-president-in-indias-trade-union-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210143732/http://naradanews.com/2016/12/k-hemalata-first-woman-president-in-indias-trade-union-history/ |archive-date=2017-12-10 |access-date=2019-07-31 |website=naradanews.com |url-status=usurped|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=http://citucentre.org/about-citu/committees/secretariat|title=ALL INDIA OFFICE BEARERS|website=citucentre.org|language=en-gb|access-date=2019-07-31}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/nda-govt-hell-bent-on-weakening-psus-in-country/article25395286.ece|title='NDA govt. hell-bent on weakening PSUs in country'|date=2018-11-02|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-07-31|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}} In the 20th party Congress of CPI(M), she became the member of newly elected Central Committee and got elected to the Central Committee in the next four Congresses too.{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/full-list-cpim-newly-elected-central-committee-and-politburo-members-sitaram-yechury-5147330/|title=Full list: CPI(M) newly elected central committee and politburo members|date=2018-04-22|website=The Indian Express|language=en-IN|access-date=2019-07-31}}
References
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Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Andhra Pradesh
Category:Indian women activists
Category:Trade unionists from Andhra Pradesh
Category:Indian women trade unionists
Category:20th-century Indian women politicians
Category:20th-century Indian politicians