Binny Yanga (7 July 1958 – 3 September 2015) was an Indian social worker, a member of the

National Planning Commission of India The Planning Commission was an institution in the Government of India, which formulated India's Five-Year Plans, among other functions. In his first Independence Day speech in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his intention to disso ...

and the founder of Oju Welfare Association (OWA), a

non governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

based in

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

, working for the welfare of the weaker sections of the society and campaigning against social Illnesses such as

child marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a ma ...

, forced marriage and

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

. She was honored by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

Biography

Binni Yanga was born on 7 July 1958 in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh to late Binni Jaipu, a former political assistant at

Lower Subansiri district Lower Subansiri district (Pron:/su:bənˈsɪɹi/) is one of the 25 administrative districts of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. History The district was formed when Subansiri district was bifurcated into Upper and Lower Sub ...

and Binni Yanya, known for her efforts for the revival of traditional handlooms, as the elder of their two daughters, the younger being Gumri Ringu, the incumbent chairman of Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women. She did her education at Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan and during her student days, she formed a girls' forum, All Subansiri District Girls Welfare Association. After her studies, she started her career as a teacher. During this period, she set up an adult education and nursery centre in 1979 and, later, a shelter home for destitute girls. In 1987, Yanga joined Arunachal Police Force, when the first batch of women officers were inducted in 1987. After only a year of service with the police force, she resigned in 1988 to enter social service on a full-time basis. Binni Yanga was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007 but carried on with her activities. She lived in

Naharlagun Naharlagun is a town situated in the foothills of Himalayas in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It falls and is administered as a part of Itanagar Capital Complex. Geography It is at an altitude of 155 metres from sea level. Surrounded ...

in Arunachal Pradesh and owned ''Oju Craft Centre'', a small enterprise employing 200 workers. She died on 3 September 2015.

Oju Welfare Association and social career

Binni Yanga registered the adult education and nursery centre she started in 1979 as a society in 1988, under the name Oju Welfare Association (OWA). The centre has grown over the years into an organization of larger proportions, covering a number of divisions, each catering to a specified purpose. OWA maintains a free educational institution in

Seppa Seppa (formerly known as Sabpa) is the headquarters of the East Kameng district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. ''Sabpa'' means 'marshy' land in the local dialect. It lies on the bank of Kameng River and there is a helipad there. It ...

with a student strength of 100 boys and girls, a children's home, ''Shishu Greh'', home to 150 orphaned children, ''Short Stay Home'', a temporary place of residence with a capacity to house 45 destitute girls or women, a working women's hostel, a family counselling centre and a women's help line. They also run a girls' school, ''Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya'' at Jang in

Tawang district Tawang district (Pron:/tɑ:ˈwæŋ or təˈwæŋ/) is the smallest of the 26 administrative districts of Arunachal Pradesh state in northeastern India. With a population of 49,977, it is the eighth least populous district in the country (out of ...

, a secondary school following CBSE syllabus and a vocational training centre. OWA also hosts the central government agencies, ''Jan Shiksha Sansthan'' and State Resource Centre in its premises. Yanga organized social awareness campaigns and seminars on health and other issues and was also involved with the promotion of traditional crafts of India for which she has founded Himgiri Multi-purpose Co-operative Society, a marketing agency for the rural artisans. The society has participated in many national and international exhibitions in countries such as UK, South Africa and Bhutan.

Positions

Binni Yanga was a former member of the

and has held the chairs of the ''Jan Shikshan Sansthan'', and Arunachal Pradesh State Resource Centre, both nodal agencies under the

Ministry of Human Resource Development (India) The Ministry of Education ( MoE; formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development from 1985 to 2020) is a ministry of the Government of India, responsible for the implementation of the National Policy on Education. The Ministry is further di ...

. She was a member of the executive committees of the National Literacy Mission Authority and the

Khadi and Village Industries Commission The Khadii and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed in April 1957 by the Government of India, under the Act of Parliament, 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'. It is an apex organisation under the M ...

. She also served as ''Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women'', ''Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India'' (TRIFED), (a

Ministry of Tribal Affairs The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, a branch of Government of India, looks after the affairs of the tribal communities in India by providing educational scholarships, grants to create more health infrastructure in tribal communities and direct cash ...

undertaking), the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati and the District Rural Health Mission,

Yupia Yupia is the headquarters of Papum Pare district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. Yupia is about 20 Kilometre, km from Itanagar, the state capital. Education National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh is located here. ...

, as a member. She was the secretary of Himgiri Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, Naharlagun and Arunachal Pradesh Women's Voluntary Association. She was also a member of ''Muskaan Society'',

Papum Pare Papum Pare district (Pron:/ˌpæpəm ˈpæɹɪ or ˈpɑ:ɹeɪ/) is an administrative district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. As of 2011, it is the most populous district of Arunachal Pradesh (out of 20). History The district was ...

Juvenile Justice Board, Rama Krishna Mission Hospital,

Itanagar Itanagar () is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The seat of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the seat of government of Arunachal Pradesh, and the seat of Gauhati High Court permanent bench at Naharlag ...

and Country Women Association of India. She also served in the executive committee of the ''Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan'', Itanagar.

Awards and recognitions

Binny Yanga received Dr. Durga Bai Deshmukh Award in 2000 followed by the COSIA Entrepreneur Award in 2009-10 from the Chamber of Small Industry Associations. A recipient of the NCDC Award of cooperative Excellence, Yanga received the National Tribal Award and

IFFCO Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited, also known as IFFCO, is a multi-state cooperative society. IFFCO is wholly owned by Cooperative Societies of India. The society is engaged in the business of manufacturing and marketing of fertilize ...

Sahakarita Ratna Award in 2012. The same year, the

awarded her the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

. In 2013, she was awarded the 2013 Achiever's Award by

Eastern Panorama ''Eastern Panorama'' is a monthly news magazine started in April 1992, by Dr. K. K. Jhunjhunwala and published from Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, India. It has since then been regularly published, without any break, and has been dissemi ...

magazine.

References

External links