Raipur: As part of recognizing grassroots-level service and grit, today President Droupadi Murmu will bestow the coveted Padma Shri Award upon three eminent social workers from the tribal region of Chhattisgarh. This will be done on the occasion of an elaborate civilian awards ceremony being held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
This will be a historic moment for the “People’s Padma Award” scheme that has made special efforts to acknowledge those individuals who have been serving in the far-flung areas of India. One such recipient of the award is Dr. Budhari Tati, fondly called as “Badi Didi of Bastar.” Dr. Budhari Tati has tirelessly traveled to over 570 villages located in Naxal-affected forest regions for three decades now. Driven by her commitment towards tribal education and empowerment of women, she set up the Rani Durgavati Hostel for tribal girls, without whom could not have completed their schooling.
In addition to this, the award will be presented to Dr. Ramchandra Godbole and Sunita Godbole, who happen to be a husband-wife couple. Having done his education in BAMS in Satara, Maharastra, Dr. Godbole first served the tribal people in Nashik through an institution called Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. After getting married in 1990, they chose to live in Bastar for ever.
“We keep concentrating all our energy on the tribals and fighting against malnutrition. It’s a very long and tough fight that needs a lot of sensitivity from everyone.”—Dr. Ramchandra Godbole In the last 37 years, Dr. Godbole and his wife have worked in the toughest geographic conditions that lacked proper health facilities altogether. With medicines on their backs, they have walked many miles through the forests and have offered free medical treatment to over one hundred thousand people. In addition to this, Sunita Godbole has offered safe spaces to women tribes by educating them regarding hygiene, pregnancy, and child care.
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