Sukhadeo Thorat an Indian economist, educationist, professor and writer. He is the former chairman of the University Grants Commission. He is professor emeritus in Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is an expert on B. R. Ambedkar.
Krishnammal Jagannathan is an Indian social activist from the state of Tamil Nadu. She and her husband, Sankaralingam Jagannathan, protested against social injustice and they are Gandhian activists. Her work includes upliftment of the landless, and the poor; she has sometimes fought against governments as well as big industries. She was earlier involved in the Indian independence movement, along with her husband, and was also a close associate of Vinoba Bhave. In 2008 she received the Right Livelihood Award, which she shared with her husband. She was given the Padma Bhushan; India's third highest civilian award; in 2020.
Mridula Sinha was an Indian writer and politician who served as Governor of Goa from August 2014 to October 2019. She was the first woman Governor of Goa.
Chetna Gala Sinha is an Indian social entrepreneur working to empower women in areas of rural India by teaching entrepreneurial skills, access to land and means of production.
Ramji Hansraj Kamani also called Ramjibhai, was an Indian entrepreneur and industrialist born in the village of Dhari in the Amreli district of Saurashtra, Baroda State. He was the patriarch of the Kamani group companies.
Sudha Varghese, also known as Sister Sudha, is a former religious sister and social worker in India who has devoted herself to the Musahar, the Dalit of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, one of the Scheduled Castes and who are considered the "untouchables". She resides and works in Jamsaut, a village in Patna district. She is sometimes called didi, which means "elder sister".
Sumitra Charat Ram was a noted Indian arts patron, impresario and the founder of Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK) established in 1952. She played a key role in the revival of performing arts, especially Kathak, in the post-independence era, for which she received a Padma Shri Award.
Bharatiya Mahila Bank was a fully owned subsidiary of State Bank of India based in Mumbai, India. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the system on 19 November 2013 on the occasion of the 96th birth anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. As part of the Modi government's banking reforms and to ensure greater banking outreach to women, the bank merged with State Bank of India on 1 April 2017.
The Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) is an Indian association that promotes business enterprises for Dalits. It was founded in 2005 by Milind Kamble. Some of the key members of DICCI are Kalpana Saroj, Chandra Bhan Prasad and Rajesh Saraiya.
Vandana Katariya is an Indian field hockey player. She plays as a forward in the Indian national team. Vandana rose to prominence in 2013, being India's top goal-scorer in the 2013 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup, where India won a bronze medal; she scored five goals in the tournament, the third by any player.
Shamshad Begum is an Indian social worker, known for her efforts towards the education of backward communities of Chhattisgarh such as the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and other backward communities. She was honoured by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Savita Behen (1919-2009) was an Indian politician, social worker, educationist and a former member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the bicameral Indian Parliament. She was known to be an advocate of women empowerment and gender equality and was listed among the 3300 distinguished living women of the world by the Council for Parity Democracy in 1990. She was honoured by the Government of India in 1971 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Chitra Jayant Naik (1918–2010) was an Indian educationist, writer, social worker, the chairperson of the Indian Institute of Education and the expert member of the Planning Commission of India. She was the chairperson of the Non-formal Education Committee set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and was a member of the National Literacy Mission. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1986.
Vanaja Iyengar was an Indian mathematician, educationist and the founder vice-chancellor of Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati, in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She was one of the founders of the Andhra Mahila Sabha School of Informatics. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1987.
Rajni Tilak was one of the most prominent Indian Dalit rights activists and a leading voice of Dalit feminism and writing. She served as the Executive Director of the Centre for Alternative Dalit Media, co-founded the National Association of Dalit Organisations, and served as President of the Dalit Lekhak Sangh.
Sitavva Joddati is a Karnataka-based social activist working for the emancipation and empowerment of women suffering within the Devadasi system. In 2018, she was conferred the Padma Sri, the fourth highest civilian award, by the President of India.
Milind Kamble is an Indian entrepreneur notable for establishing Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and working for Dalit entrepreneurs and Dalit businesses. He received Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2013.
Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat was an Indian businesswoman, who was one of the founders of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, a women's worker cooperative involved in manufacturing of various fast-moving consumer goods. On January 26, 2021, the Government of India conferred her India's fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri in Trade and Industry category.
Prabhaben Shah was an Indian social worker. In 2022, she was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian Government for her contribution in social work.
