K. K. Shailaja

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K. K. Shailaja
File:K. K. Shailaja.jpg
Office Chief Whip of CPI(M) in Kerala Legislative Assembly
Office Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala
Office Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly



Term start 20 May 2021




Predecessor V. S. Sivakumar
Successor Veena George



Born 1956-11-20 (age 70)
Born Mattanur, Kannur, Kerala, India





Political party Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Spouse Template:Marriage
Children Template:Flatlist
Alma mater Template:Plainlist



K. K. Shailaja (born 20 November 1956) is an Indian politician and former Health Minister of Kerala who hails from Kannur district.[1] She currently serves as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Mattanur constituency in 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly. She is a Central Committee member of Communist Party of India (Marxist).[2] Before entering active politics, she worked as a high school physics teacher. In June(2020), Shailaja was honoured by the United Nations for her efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. She was among a few of the world leaders invited to speak on the occasion of the United Nations Public Service Day. K. K. Shailaja was awarded the CEU Open Society Prize for 2021.

She was previously elected as the MLA of Kuthuparamba constituency twice in 1996 and 2016 and Peravoor constituency in 2006. She served as the Minister of Health, Social Justice and Woman and Child Development (Kerala) in the first Vijayan ministry (2016 – 2021). But In the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, Shailaja won the largest margin ever (over 60,000 votes) in the history of Kerala Legislative Assembly elections.[3][4][5]

Early life

Shailaja was born on 20 November 1956 to K. Kunthan and K. K. Shantha.[6] She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Pazhassi Raja N. S. S. College, Mattanur and Bachelor of Education from Visvesvarayya College in 1980. She then served as a high school physics teacher at Shivapuram High School in Kannur. After a seven-year service, she retired in 2004 for full-time political action.Template:Citation needed

Political career

K. K. Shailaja has been elected as CPI (M) Central Committee Member in the 22nd Congress of the CPI(M) held between April 18 and 22 2018 at Hyderabad, Telangana[7] and the State Secretary of All India Democratic Women's Association.

She represented Kuthuparamba in 1996 and Peravoor in 2006, both of which are in Kannur district, in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Shailaja won a total of 67,013 votes in the Kuthuparamba constituency, winning by a margin of 12,291 votes. In the first Pinarayi Vijayan ministry, she was the minister of Health and Social Welfare.

As Health Minister, Shailaja Teacher has come to be highly regarded for her unwavering commitment and strong work ethic. As quoted from one of her colleagues in the Health Department: "She is a tough taskmaster. It doesn't matter if it's midnight or if she is having any ailments, the minister is there to monitor every arrangement. In the case of nCoV prevention and control, the minister is leading from the front by convening assessment meetings daily,"[8]

Her leadership during the Nipah and COVID-19 outbreaks was widely lauded.[9][10] She had set up a team which enabled the fast diagnosis and further management of the deadly viruses. The film Virus is based on the Nipah virus outbreak in the state. In this film Revathi portrayed the character based on her.

K. K. Shailaja has received international attention for her leadership in tackling COVID-19 pandemic in Kerala.[11][12][13][14][15] Till around mid-March, she gave daily press briefings. She was invited by the United Nations to participate in a panel discussion on United Nations Public Service Day 2020, for her efforts to fight COVID-19 in her state on June 23, 2020.[16][17][18] The Guardian described her as "coronavirus slayer" and "rock star health minister".[19][20] BBC News featured her among a list of Asian women corona fighters.[21] She was also featured by Vogue Magazine as a "Vogue Warrior".[22] The British magazine Prospect selected her as the world's 'top thinker' of 2020, pushing the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern to the 2nd position.[23][24][25][26] Financial Times named Shailaja as one of the world's most influential women of 2020.[27]

Her exclusion in the second Vijayan ministry, which includes all debutants except chief minister, was a subject of controversy in media outlets and in social media.[28][29]

Personal life

K. K. Shailaja is married to K. Bhaskaran since 19 April 1981, and they have two sons—Lasith and Sobhith. She stated that her hobbies include reading and listening to music. She has authored two books: Indian Varthamanavum Sthreesamoohavum[30] and China: Rashtram, Rashtreeyam, Kazhchakal.[31][32]

Electoral performance

Kerala Legislative Assembly Election
Year Constituency Closest Rival Majority

(Votes)

Won/Loss
1996 Kuthuparamba M.P.Krishnan Nair (INC) 18993 Won[33]
2006 Peravoor Professor A.D Mustafa (INC) 9099 Won[34]
2011 Peravoor Sunny Joseph (INC) 3440 Loss[35]
2016 Kuthuparamba K P Mohanan JD(U) 12291 Won[36]
2021 Mattanur Illikkal Augusthy (RSP) 60963 Won[37]

Awards and Honours

In June 2020, Shailaja was honoured by the United Nations for her efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.[38] She was among a few of the world leaders invited to speak on the occasion of the United Nations Public Service Day.[39] K. K. Shailaja was awarded the Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize for 2021, the honour was in recognition of her social commitment to public health services.[40][41]

References

  1. ↑ K. K. Shailaja - Government of Kerala, India.
  2. ↑ Leadership. Communist Party of India (Marxist)(2009-03-18). Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  3. ↑ 'Rockstar' Health Minister Shailaja Teacher wins by largest margin in Kerala history - The Week. www.theweek.in. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  4. ↑ KK Shailaja: Not just a teacher, but a rockstar. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  5. ↑ KK Shailaja set to win with record margin, lead crosses 61,000. Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  6. ↑ K. K. SHAILAJA TEACHER. Kerala Niyamasabha. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Leadership. Communist Party of India (Marxist)(2009-03-18). Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. ↑ Tough mind, tender heart: How KK Shailaja is leading Kerala's coronavirus battle. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. ↑ Template:Sic: No need to panic, says Kerala govt; patient stable. India Today. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  10. ↑ 'Couldn't afford to show fear': Kerala's health minister KK Shailaja on dealing with Nipah. The Indian Express(2019-07-21). Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  11. ↑ Aggressive testing, contact tracing, cooked meals: How the Indian state of Kerala flattened its coronavirus curve, Masih, Niha. Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  12. ↑ What the world can learn from Kerala about how to fight covid-19. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  13. ↑ Kerala earns praise from BBC panel for efficiently handling coronavirus cases. The Week. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  14. ↑ A Nipah Warrior, Kerala Health Min is Now Fighting Coronavirus. The Quint(2020-03-13). Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  15. ↑ Kerala health minister: Attacking coronavirus, defending against barbs. gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  16. ↑ Watch | UN honours Kerala Health Minister K.K Shailaja. The Hindu(2020-06-28). Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  17. ↑ Coronavirus: UN honours Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja for her efforts to tackle pandemic. Scroll.in. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  18. ↑ Kerala health minister honoured in UN webinar on Covid-19 | Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  19. ↑ The coronavirus slayer! How Kerala's rock star health minister helped save it from Covid-19. The Guardian(2020-05-14). Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  20. ↑ Kerala health minister invited to speak at UN event. The Week. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  21. ↑ BBC Monitoring – Essential Media Insight. monitoring.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  22. ↑ Vogue Warriors: Meet Kerala's health minister who is taking the state out of the pandemic. Vogue India. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  23. ↑ The world's top 50 thinkers 2020: the winner, Team, Prospect. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  24. ↑ Right lady: UK magazine 'Prospect' names KK Shailaja as world's 'top thinker' for COVID-19. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  25. ↑ UK magazine: Kerala health minister K.K Shailaja Top Thinker 2020, Jacinda at No.2, N, Smitha. Deccan Chronicle(2020-09-03). Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  26. ↑ Kerala Health Minister named 'Top Thinker of 2020' by UK magazine. The Week. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  27. ↑ Who have been the most influential women of 2020? FT readers respond. Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  28. ↑ Amid criticisms for dropping KK Shailaja, CPI(M) defends Pinarayi’s ‘bold decision’. The NewsMinute(18 May 2021). Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  29. ↑ Kerala: K K Shailaja first casualty in Pinarayi Vijayan second wave. The Times of India(19 May 2021). Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  30. ↑ Indian varthamanavum sthreesamoohavum. Chintha Publishers. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  31. ↑ China rashtram rashtreeyam kazhchakal. Chintha Publishers. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  32. ↑ K. K. Shailaja - Government of Kerala, India. kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  33. ↑ Kerala Assembly Election Results in 1996. www.elections.in. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  34. ↑ Kerala Assembly Election Results in 2006. www.elections.in. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  35. ↑ Kerala Assembly Election Results in 2011. www.elections.in. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  36. ↑ Kerala Assembly Election Results in 2016. www.elections.in. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  37. ↑ Election Commission of India. results.eci.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  38. ↑ UN Public Service Day. www.who.int. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  39. ↑ Watch | UN honours Kerala Health Minister K.K Shailaja. The Hindu(2020-06-28). Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  40. ↑ Former Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja honoured with CEU Open Society Prize. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  41. ↑ KK Shailaja bags CEU Open Society Prize. Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2021-06-20.

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