Social worker Janardan Bapurao Bothe to receive Padma Shri

Veteran social worker Janardan Bapurao Bothe will be conferred the Padma Shri award for his over six decades of dedication to social service and rural upliftment in India.

Veteran social worker and educationist Janardan Bapurao Bothe will be conferred the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu at a civil investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 25.

Bothe, who has dedicated over six decades to social service and rural upliftment, is the General Secretary of the All-India Shri Gurudev Seva Mandal at Gurukunj Ashram in Maharashtra, founded by the revered saint Tukdoji Maharaj.

Born in Maharashtra's Washim district in 1939, Bothe began his association with the Seva Mandal as a student before becoming a full-time sevak and later a close aide to Tukdoji Maharaj.

He served as the saint's personal secretary and accompanied him on several tours and public programmes across the country.

During the 1962 India-China war, Bothe also participated in bhajan programmes at the NEFA border aimed at boosting the morale of Indian armed forces personnel.

In 1972, he founded the Rashtra Sant Shri Tukdoji Maharaj Shikshan Sanstha, under which schools and hostels were established in tribal and underprivileged areas of Maharashtra.

Through the initiative, thousands of Dalit, Adivasi, and economically weaker students received education and life-skills training.

Over the years, Bothe has led several initiatives focused on de-addiction, health awareness, value-based education, environmental conservation, and rural development through a network of more than 10,000 rural branches, women's groups, and youth organisations linked to the Seva Mandal.

He was honoured with the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Dalit Mitra Sanstha Award in 1992 and the Maratha Vidarbha Bhushan Award in 2008 for his contribution to social service and promotion of Tukdoji Maharaj's philosophy.