Prema Cariappa was born in Virajpet on 15 August 1951 to Somaiyanda B. Kushalappa and Thangamma.
[2] During 1990–91, Prema Cariappa had been the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Bangalore City Corporation.
[3][6][7] She has worked for the uplift of the poor, widows and destitutes, the development of cities and villages, the improvement of water supply and sanitation and the maintenance of green cover.
[2][6] She participated in a World Conference on Women's Security and Gender Equality held at Bangkok, Thailand in September 2002, a Special Session on Children held at New York, U.S.A. in 2002, a World Conference on 'Making the World a Better Place' organised by Brahmakumaries at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, a South East Asia Seminar on AIDS held at Islamabad, Pakistan in 2005 and an Inter -Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference on"Beyond Beijing: Towards Gender Equality in Politics", as a national delegate at UN Headquarters in New York in March 2005.
She attended World Mayors Conference at Berlin, Germany in 2002 and visited China at the invitation of Indo-China Friendship Society to strengthen relationship and mutual understanding among people of the two countries.