Jaya Arunachalam

Jaya Arunachalam
Founder, Working Women's Forum
Succeeded byNandini Azad
Personal details
Born8 February 1935
Tamil Nadu, India
Died29 June 2019
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
AwardsPadma Shri, Stree Shakti Puraskar
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Jaya Arunachalam was an Indian social worker and the founder of Working Women's Forum, a non-governmental organization based in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, working for the welfare of marginalized women.[1] Starting in 1978, she channeled her activities under the aegis of the forum for organizing poor working women and provided them with seed capital to start their small business or to develop their existing business.[1]

Arunachalam was born on 8 February 1935[2] in Tamil Nadu in a Brahmin family and has a master's degree in economics and geography.[3] She was a member of the governing council of the Society for International Development, Rome, and was recognized as the first South Asian woman to join the council.[4]

Arunachalam also served as the vice president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and a member of the All India Congress Committee, along with several committees related to women's welfare and development across India.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Empowering the women of Madras". BBC News. 23 August 2002. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Jamnalal Bajaj Award". Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "A Lifelong Champion Of India's Poorest Women". The Washington Post. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Fight against poverty". The Hindu. 5 June 2005. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Veteran social activist Jaya Arunachalam passes away". Deccan Chronicle. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.