Chhattisgarh social worker, doctor couple dedicated to tribal welfare and health care to receive Padma Shri

Budhri Tati and the Godbole couple from Chhattisgarh are honored with Padma Shri awards for their dedication to healthcare and women's empowerment in tribal areas.

Raipur : Social worker Budhri Tati, popularly known as Badi Didi, and Ramchandra Godbole and his wife Sunita, who have taken affordable healthcare to remote tribal areas, have been selected for the Padma Shri awards from Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh social worker, doctor couple dedicated to tribal welfare and health care to receive Padma Shri

The Union government on Republic Day eve announced 131 Padma awards for 2026, comprising five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The list includes two duo cases, where an award to two individuals is counted as one.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated the awardees, calling their selection a matter of pride for the state. He said it was particularly noteworthy that all three have served for decades in remote and Naxal-affected areas of the Bastar region.

Tati, a resident of Hiranar village in Dantewada district, will be honoured for her contribution to women’s empowerment, tribal upliftment and social service. She has helped more than 500 women become self-reliant. Since 1984, she has worked in forest areas on de-addiction programmes, literacy drives, social awareness initiatives and the promotion of education for women and girls. She has earlier been honoured by the Chhattisgarh government.

Many women supported by her are now working as nurses. Speaking after the announcement, Tati said the award belonged to the tribal community. She recalled walking through 400 to 500 villages to win people’s trust when she began her work and said she continues to focus on education, health, cleanliness and environmental protection.

The Godbole couple will receive the award for their contribution in the field of medical services. Dr Ramchandra Godbole, an Ayurvedic doctor, and his wife Sunita have been providing free medical care in remote tribal regions such as Bastar and Abujhmad for more than 37 years.

Through their initiative Trust for Health, the couple has worked to spread health awareness and combat malnutrition. They provide primary treatment in villages lacking basic facilities such as roads, electricity and mobile connectivity, often travelling on foot or with limited resources to organise regular medical camps.

Between 1965 and 2025, 34 individuals from Chhattisgarh have received the Padma Shri. Renowned Pandwani singer Teejan Bai remains the only personality from the state to have received all three Padma awards for her contribution to folk music.