Chinna Pillai is a community leader from Pulliseri, a small village near

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

, Tamil Nadu,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. She had started a very successful banking system in the villages of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, and has made many contributions to attempt to reduce poverty and debt grievances by empowering women. She made efforts in starting a savings unit among the women of the village of Pullucheri. Chinna Pillai is

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

and can only sign her name. She was recognized as a leader because of people find here negotiation skills effective. She bargained on behalf of workers and eventually the employers realized that there may be some benefit in paying higher wages.

Recognition

Chinna Pillai was one of five women to receive the

Stree Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian hon ...

in 1999. In a picture perfect moment for the press, then-Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

bowed down in respect and touched her feet while presenting her with the award. She had received the

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, ...

for her service in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Chinna 1960s births Living people Indian microfinance people People from Madurai district Businesswomen from Tamil Nadu Businesspeople from Tamil Nadu Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work 20th-century Indian businesswomen 20th-century Indian businesspeople