Professor A K Susheela of the Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation of India has been conferred 'Ashoka Fellowship' for her work in improving the health of people who consumed fluoride poisoned groundwater.
The award instituted by USA-based Global Association of Leading Social Entrepreneurs was given to her in a formal ceremony held at Bangalore, a release said.
Susheela was chosen for the award because of her creative entrepreneurship and commitment to make large scale changes in the society, mainly the rural population who have been confronted with a variety of health problems as a result of consuming flouride contaminated water, it said.
Through persistent efforts she approached the problems in a holistic manner with simple solutions which resulted in improving the health of people in a short span of time. The award, named after emperor Ashoka, was instituted by William Drayton, an academician in Washington DC, who studied Asian history, the release added.