Dr Arathi Krishna, 50, has recently been appointed as the first chairperson of the NRI Cell of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). She was the deputy chairperson of the NRI Forum of Karnataka. A well read scholar and accomplished diplomat, an artiste and a good singer, a dedicated social worker and a philanthropist, Arathi Krishna is a multifaceted personality. She has been associated with the Congress party and NRIs for a prolonged period. Importantly, she is the daughter of Begane Ramaiah, a veteran Congress leader and former rural development minister of Karnataka.
Dr Arathi Krishna, received the appointment letter from KPCC President Dr G Parameshwar, said that the intention behind the formation of the Cell is to publicize the Congress party among NRIs around the world. In the recently concluded state elections, she has urged the NRIs to create awareness among their families back home to vote for the party in the upcoming assembly polls. The election results in Karnataka were announced on 15th May, 2018 with neither the both major national parties – the BJP and the Congress nor the regional party, Janata Dal Secular (JDS), locked in a clear majority to form the Government singlehandedly. Eventually, HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JDS government formed the state government.
Dr Arathi Krishna has done her Masters in ‘political science’ from Mysore University, another Masters in ‘International Commerce and Public’ from George Mason University, Washington, and an honorary doctorate from Kuvempu University. She had worked as a Community Development Officer in the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, and as an Adviser in the India Development Foundation, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. She has also set up an NGO ‘Krishna Foundation’ to partake in socio-economic needs and provide improved educational facilities in remote villages of Karnataka.