Usha Chaumar

Usha Chaumar (born 1978)[1] is a social worker from Alwar, Rajasthan, India. She is the President of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, the non-profit arm of Sulabh International.[2] In 2020, she received the Padma Shri honour from the Government of India for her contribution in the field of social work, particularly in raising awareness against manual scavenging.[3][4][5]

Life

Born in Deegh village near Bharatpur, Rajasthan to a Dalit Valmikin family, Chaumar began manual scavenging at the age of 7, along with her mother. She manually cleaned human feces without any precaution. Chaumar was married at the age of 10 and moved to Alwar into her husband's family at the age of 14 while continuing to do manual scavenging work. In 2002, at the age of 24, she met the founder of Sulabh International, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, when he visited her village to speak with the manual scavengers. Under his guidance, she joined the NGO, Nai Disha, for an alternative sustainable lifestyle. Presently, she is the President of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation (SISSO), the non-profit arm of Sulabh International. In 2020, she received the Padma Shri honour from the Government of India for her contribution in the field of social work, particularly in raising awareness against manual scavenging.[6]

References
  1. "Manual Scavenger at 7, Padma Shri Awardee at 42: Usha Chaumar Is a Beacon of Hope". The Better India. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. Asian News International (27 January 2020). "From manual scavenger to Padma Shri awardee: Usha Chaumar shares her inspirational journey - India News". India Today. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  3. "कौन हैं सिर पर मैला ढोने वाली ऊषा चोमर? जिन्हें मिलेगा पद्मश्री सम्मान". aajtak. 26 January 2020.
  4. "पद्मश्री से सम्‍मानित होंगी कभी मैला ढोने वाली ऊषा चोमर". KhabarTak.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  5. "मैला ढोने का काम छोड़कर स्वच्छता के लिए प्रेरित करने वाली ऊषा समेत राजस्थान के 5 लोगों को पद्मश्री दिया जाएगा". Bhaskar (in Hindi). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. "The Manual Scavenger who Won Padma Shri: Usha Chaumar". in.makers.yahoo.com. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
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