NEW DELHI: The Shambhavi Puraskar 2016 was awarded to Sabarmatee, of Rohibanka, Nayagarh (Orissa) by Chief Guest Anu Aga, Director Thermax Ltd & Chairperson Teach for India along with Guest of Honour Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Odisha, Koraput at a formal function held at Bhubaneswar on March 31, 2016. Shambhavi Puraskar, was instituted by the Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation in 2014, to recognise excellence and innovation by emerging social catalysts to inspire more people to act as agents of change.
Sabarmatee has made a phenomenal impact on a wide gamut of areas like conservation of forests, ecological regeneration of waste land, biodiversity conservation, Sustainable Agriculture, promotion of village sanitation and hygiene, and mobilizing and supporting women to deal with gender issues. Not only has she changed the surrounding environment but also the mindset of people by mobilizing them towards environment conservation, organic farming and women empowerment through innovative methods that have become case studies in current socio-economic research.
The Shamabhavi Puraskar winner is selected by an independent and eminent Jury panel with representatives from NGOs, civil society, media and BIPF. The award carries a trophy, citation and a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh. The function was attended by a large number of representatives from various NGO's, social workers, Govt. officials, and corporate houses.
The Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF), the social arm of IMFA was set up with a mission of enabling lives of the marginalised groups through sustainable and scalable initiatives. The foundation works in the verticals of Education, Water & Sanitation, Skill Development, and Health Initiatives with a special focus on women & children development.