India's 10 Unsung Personalities

Jyotsna Sitling:
Jyotsna Sitling is the first female tribal Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer. Jyotsna is a green warrior who has spent her life restoring the eco system, from cleaning up the hills to creating jobs for the locals. With more than 25 years in the IFS, she has cleaned, planted and restored the environment. She is well-known for restoring The Valley of Flowers National Park. The hills of the Nanda Devi Biosphere had turned into a heap of plastic littered by pilgrims and Jyotsana took it upon herself to clean the entire region involving the locals. The area was later declared as a World Heritage Site in 2005 by UNESCO.

Kulandei Francis:
Another unsung hero on the list is Kulandei Francis. He is an activist, social worker and the founder of the NGO Integrated Village Development Project in Tamil Nadu. Francis has been working diligently to improve the living conditions in rural India. His organization began small with a night school and a first-aid centre in Krishnagiri. Over the years, IVDP has established over 8,200 self-help groups and has empowered over 100,000 women, giving families a stable livelihood. He was also one of six recipients of the Magsaysay Award this year for "his profound faith in community energies, and his sustained programs in pursuing the holistic economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural India".

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