Stree Shakti - Padmashree awardee Phoolbasan Bai Yadav - Ep #27

Padmashree awardee Phoolbasan Bai Yadav was married to a boy engaged in cattle grazing, when she was just 10 years old. After marriage, she had to face brutal reality where she had nothing to eat for days and acutely felt the pain of hunger and poverty. But she is a fighter. She says “I vowed to improve not only my situation but all such families living around and I tell you, there are countless such people in our state.”
The women self-help groups (WSHG) in the district play a very important role. They participate in health programmes such as pulse polio, nutrition such as: Bal Bhoj to young children in the schools and anganwadis, education of children through enrolment and regular attendance especially for girl children. They also try to prevent early marriages. This is a voluntary effort encouraged by the district administration. Phoolbasan Bai Yadav contributed significantly to the literacy campaign in the district. She won the Maa Bamleshwari Award for the ‘Save Water’ programme. She has become a source of inspiration for thousands of women in the district. Currently, she has taken on the responsibility for the education of 54 children in the state. Her efforts have also led to the closure of 250 liquor stores under a campaign and the prevention of 570 child marriages.
Noted singer Hard Kaur, inspired by the Phool basan Bai story, made a special visit to the studio to greet the lady …