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  India   All India  08 Mar 2017  Sarpanch who beat odds to win PM’s salute on Women’s Day

Sarpanch who beat odds to win PM’s salute on Women’s Day

THE ASIAN AGE. | TEENA THACKER
Published : Mar 8, 2017, 1:38 am IST
Updated : Mar 8, 2017, 6:41 am IST

Along with Uttara Thakur, nine other women from different parts of the country will be felicitated by PM at a function in Gujarat.

Prime MInister Narendra Modi. (Photo: File)
 Prime MInister Narendra Modi. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Uttara Thakur, a young sarpanch from Chhattisgarh, inspires courage just through the power of her words.

Determined to improve sanitation in her village, Uttara went door to door and motivated people to use toilets. Her contagious spirit  mobilised the entire village, earning it the open defecation free status.

Uttara is among those women sarpanches who will be honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of International Women’s Day for their outstanding contribution towards making Swachh Bharat a reality in rural India.

Along with Uttara, nine other women from different parts of the country will be felicitated by the PM at a function in Gandhinagar, Wednesday.

Sushila Khurkute from Palghar, Maharashtra, is another story of courage that will be felicitated. Khurkute decided to build her own toilet, digging continuously for three days in a rocky terrain. The result: she caught attention of the local authorities who helped her finish the construction work.

“These are all wonderful stories of women champions that made a difference in their villages, making their villages open defecation free by building toilets and by creating awareness,” said a senior official.  

To be attended by 6,000 selected women sarpanches and grassroots workers from across the country that have been invited to attend  Women Champions Convention — Swachh Shakti 2017 by the ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in association with the Gujarat.

Swachh Shakti Saptaah has been celebrated from March 1st to March 8th, 2017 across the country, with various State and district level administrations organizing special events to honour and felicitate women champions who have done exceptional work in the field of rural sanitation.

Several Union Ministers will take part in the events to carry forward the message of Swachhta and will pay tribute to role of women. The PM will honour 10 women swachhagrahis who have done exceptional work for Swachh Bharat.

Tags: narendra modi, women’s day, swachh bharat, uttara thakur
Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi