Dame Asha Khemka named Staffordshire deputy lieutenant

Asha Khemka, from Sitamarhi in Bihar, arrived in the United Kingdom with her family in 1978 without English language skills. She went on to win several accolades for transforming the lives of many as an educationist, and has now been made the deputy lieutenant of the county of Staffordshire.

Ian James Dudson, lord-lieutenant of Staffordshire, appointed her the deputy lieutenant at a commissioning ceremony in Staffordshire council’s County Buildings in Stafford, her office informed Hindustan Times on Friday.

The lord-lieutenant is Queen Elizabeth’s representative in the county. The role of deputy lieutenant is to help the lord-lieutenant with ceremonial duties, including representing him at civic and voluntary events within the lieutenancy.

Khemka said: “As a longstanding resident, I am proud and humbled to be asked to represent the Staffordshire Lieutenancy and serve the place where I have lived for almost 20 years. It is a huge honour to be appointed as a deputy lieutenant of the county that I love so much.”

Born and raised in Sitamarhi, Khemka married at the age of 15 and emigrated to the UK with her orthopaedic surgeon-husband Shankar and their three children. After 20 years as a housewife, she returned to education as a mature student.

Khemka began her career as a college business studies lecturer in 1987 and rose to establish herself as a leading educationist in the area of further education.

She was honoured with a damehood in 2014 – the female equivalent of knighthood – after being awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to education. She is also a recipient of the Dadabhai Naoroji Award in 2015, presented by former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. HTC