On the eve of the 75th Republic Day, the Centre on Thursday announced the Padma awards. Here are some of the unsung heroes who won the prestigious awards this year.
Parbati Baruah | Assam
India’s 1st female elephant mahout, who overcame stereotypes to create a space for herself in a traditionally male-dominated field.
She stood out for her commitment towards mitigating human-elephant conflict with help of application of scientific practices - assisted 3 state governments to tackle and capture wild elephants
Inheriting the skill from her father, she started at the age of 14 – her relentless efforts over 4 decades have played a vital role in saving & shaping the lives of many rogue tuskers
Despite coming from a well-off background, she chose to live a simple life, dedicating it to serve the complex yet playful creature
Jageshwar Yadav | Chhattisgarh
Tribal Welfare Worker from Jashpur who dedicated his life for the upliftment of marginalized Birhor & Pahadi Korwa people
Established Ashram in Jashpur that worked for eradicating illiteracy and elevating healthcare standards by setting up camps
Facilitated vaccinations during pandemic, addressing hesitancy – also helped reducing infant mortality
Despite financial hardships, his passion remained to bring about social change
Chami Murmu | Jharkhand
Tribal Environmentalist and Women empowerment champion from Seraikela Kharsawan
Spearheaded afforestation efforts planting over 30 lakh plants with 3,000 women
Ushered socio-economic change by empowering over 30,000 women across 40+ villages through formation of numerous SHGs & providing employment opportunities
Through her NGO 'Sahayogi Mahila’, initiated impactful programs in safe motherhood, anemia & malnutrition, & emphasized adolescent girls' education
Her relentless campaign against illegal logging, timber mafia & naxal activities & dedication towards protecting wildlife & forests has made her a force to recon with
Gurvinder Singh | Haryana
Divyang Social Worker from Sirsa who worked for betterment of homeless, destitute, women, orphans and divyangjan
With his unwavering dedication, he nurtured 300 children dreams by setting up a child care institute named Bal Gopal Dham
Provided free ambulance services to over 6,000 accident victims and pregnant women
Paralyzed waist down after being hit by truck & confined to a wheelchair for life, he channelized his personal tragedy to work for welfare of others.
Sathyanarayana Beleri | Kerala
Rice farmer from Kasaragod, who evolved into a guardian of paddy crop by preserving over 650 traditional rice varieties
Successfully introduced 'Rajakayame' rice, boosting production and conservation across 3 states - Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu
Through 15 years of hardwork, innovated technique, 'Polybag Method’ – conserved not only indigenous rice varieties but also traditional seeds of arecanut, nutmeg and black pepper
Fostered research and conservation by providing 50 rice varieties to research centers and distributed free rice seeds to farmers
Dukhu Majhi | West Bengal
Tribal Environmentalist from Sindri village, Purulia
Planted over 5,000 Banyan, Mango and Blackberry trees on barren land, while traveling to new destinations on his bicycle every day
Raised awareness about tree planting and featured in the documentary 'Rukhu Mati Dukhu Majhi'
Working for a greener tomorrow since the age of 12
Could not complete his education due to financial constraints, but that did not stop him from coming up with innovative solutions for protecting and safeguarding
against wood theft and spreading awareness about the importance of trees
K. Chellammal | Andaman & Nicobar
Organic Farmer from South Andaman, successfully developed a 10 acre organic farm
Used intercropping method for cultivation of crops like Clove, Ginger, Pineapples, Banana and motivated more than 150 farmers to adopt it
Devised innovative & economical solutions for coconut & palm trees damage control measures - harvested over 27,000 coconuts per annum &
cultivated 2 hectares of coconut plantation with 460 palms of Andaman Ordinary Tall variety
Studied till class 6, but innovating in farming for past 5 decades with commitment and enthusiasm
Sangthankima | Mizoram
Social worker from Aizawl who has been running Mizoram's largest orphanage 'Thutak Nunpuitu Team’
Over the course of 3 decades, addressed issues related to children's welfare, addiction, HIV-AIDS awareness, education, and other civic issues
Continuously providing shelter and rehabilitation services to orphans, divyangjan, drug addicts, and alcoholics
Worked for North Eastern communities and Burmese through his rehabilitation centres in 4 districts of Assam
Hemchand Manjhi | Chhattisgarh
A traditional medicinal practitioner from Narayanpur, providing affordable healthcare to villagers for over 5 decades, having started serving the needy since the age of 15
Known for his special knowledge of herbs in remote forests of Abujhmarh
Charges meagre amount to treat patients suffering from varied diseases
Despite repeated threats & personal attacks by Naxals, he continued to serve people with sincerity and zeal
Yanung Jamoh Lego | Arunachal Pradesh
East Siang based herbal medicine expert who has provided medical care to over 10,000 patients, educated 1 lakh individuals on medicinal herbs and trained SHGs in their use
Planted over 5,000 medicinal plants annually & promoted setting up of herbal kitchen gardens in every household across the district
Despite financial constraints & personal challenges, she dedicated her life for revival of the lost traditional healing system of Adi tribe in particular & the entire Arunachal Pradesh as a whole – becoming instrumental in keeping the traditional knowledge of medicines alive
Somanna | Karnataka
Tribal Welfare Worker from Mysuru, tirelessly working for upliftment of Jenu Kuruba tribe for over 4 decades
Assisted in acquiring title deeds to ensure the legal recognition and protection of more than 500 tribal communities residing in forest areas
His social work extended to environmental conservation, emphasizing the importance of preserving natural habitats
Jenu Kuruba is a honey collecting tribe from Nilgiris with around 40,000 inhabitants
Previously a bonded labourer, he realised the true importance of freedom and rights and went on to dedicate his life to advocating for the rights of tribals
Sarbeswar Basumatary | Assam
Tribal Farmer from Chirang who successfully adopted mixed integrated farming approach and cultivated varieties of crops like coconuts, oranges, paddy, litchis and maize
Demonstrating a community-focused approach, he transmitted his knowledge and learnings to other farmers, helping increase efficiency and uplift livelihoods
Once a daily wage labourer, his enduring spirit and enthusiasm has become a role model for the agricultural community – despite lacking any formal education and against heavy odds
Prema Dhanraj | Karnataka
Plastic (Reconstructive) Surgeon & Social Worker, dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of burn victims - her legacy extending beyond surgery, championing burn prevention, awareness and policy reform
Founded Agni Raksha NGO, provided free surgery to 25,000 burn victims + Authored 3 books on Plastic Surgery
As part of her global humanitarian efforts, established Ethiopia's 1st burns unit, and educated doctors in Kenya, Tanzania, Norway, Ethiopia
A survivor of 50% burns at age of 8 (when a stove burst on her face while playing in the kitchen), she triumphed over personal tragedy to become a driving force of change
She underwent more than 14 surgeries as a child at Christian Medical College Vellore - and went on to become a Surgeon & HoD in the same hospital
Uday Vishwanath Deshpande | Maharashtra
International Mallakhamb Coach, who worked relentlessly in reviving, revitalizing and popularizing the sport at global level
Personally trained over 5,000 people from 50 countries - introduced Mallakhamb to diverse groups including women, divyangjan, orphans, tribals and senior citizens
As director of Vishwa Mallakhamb Federation, played a pivotal role in contributing significantly to it’s international reach
Created a rule-book with criteria of judgement and competition and standardizing all regulations which was recognized by Indian Olympic Association
