A.R. Sindhu

A. R. Sindhu is an Indian trade unionist and communist politician. She has been serving as a Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) since 2018. She is the national secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions. Sindhu is known for her contributions to labour rights, particularly advocating for workers in the unorganized sector and care workers across India.

Early life and education

A. R. Sindhu hails from Pala in Kottayam district of Kerala. Sindhu entered ACTIVE politics through Students Federation of India her time as a student of Sree Vidyadhi Raja NSS College in Vazhoor. She was a member of SFI Kerala State Committee. She was elected as the vice-chairperson of Mahatma Gandhi University in 1990-91. She has at the New Delhi headquarters of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions since 1996, in particular in relation to organising workers from informal sector and scheme workers in North India.

Role in social movements and politics

Sindhu serves as the National Secretary of CITU and is the General Secretary of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers which represents nearly 500,000 care workers. Her leadership has been instrumental in organizing protests, policy advocacy, and labour rights, movements, especially for women workers in unorganized sectors.

As part of her leadership in CITU, Sindhu also convenes CITU affiliated All India Coordination Committee of Working Women, established in 1979 to address gender-specific labour issues. She has actively worked towards improving wages, social security, and workplace conditions for Anganwadi and other scheme workers in India.

CPI(M)'s 22nd Party Congress was held in Hyderabad, Telangana on 18 – 22 April 2018, On 24 June, A. R. Sindhu was elected to the vacant spot kept in the Central Committee member in the first meeting after the Party Congress, marking her as one of the few women from Kerala to attain this position.

Editorial contributions

Sindhu has made regular contributions to labour-related publications. She is the Working Editor of 'The Voice of the Working Woman'. The monthly journal is published by the AICCWW since 1980. She also serves as the Editor of the Hindi quarterly 'Kamkaji Mahila' Through these platforms, she continues to advocate for the rights of working women and labourers.

Personal life

She is married to P. Krishna Prasad, the finance secretary of All India Kisan Sabha and the former Sulthan Bathery MLA.