Husband-wife duo serving tribals in Naxal-hit Bastar to receive Padma Shri

Husband-wife duo Dr Ramchandra Godbole and Suneeta Godbole, who have spent more than three decades providing healthcare and social support to tribal communities in the remote Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, will be conferred the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu on May 25.

The couple moved to Bastar soon after their marriage in 1990 and have since devoted their lives to serving tribal populations in inaccessible and Naxal-affected areas where healthcare facilities were either limited or non-existent.

Dr Ramchandra Godbole, a BAMS graduate from Maharashtra's Satara district, initially worked among tribal communities in Nashik through the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram before moving to Bastar.

He later set up a clinic at Barsur in Dantewada district near the Abujhmad forest, treating thousands of critically ill tribal patients who often travelled long distances through dense forests to seek medical care.

Over the last 15 years, he has also organised more than 100 health camps in remote forest areas with the help of specialist doctors, facilitating medical examination and treatment for over 9,000 patients.

Many critically ill patients were referred to hospitals in Dantewada and Raipur for advanced treatment.

Suneeta Godbole, a postgraduate in social work from Pune, complemented the medical initiatives through sustained grassroots engagement with tribal women and children.

Fluent in local tribal languages Gondi and Halbi, she worked extensively on nutrition, girls' education, women's empowerment, and health awareness.

Her efforts in tackling malnutrition among tribal children have benefited hundreds of children across dozens of villages in Bastar. She also organised training sessions for women on nutrition and self-reliance and conducted awareness campaigns on issues such as sickle cell anaemia.

The couple has earlier received several honours for social service, including the Seva Gaurav Award from Natu Pratishthan in Pune in 2001.

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