Gutta Muniratnam (6 January 1936 – 6 May 2021) 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 Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS),
a
non governmental organization engaged in the social welfare activities in over 2500 socio-economically backward villages in the
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...
region,
spread across the present day states of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
.
He 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
Muniratnam Nayudu was born on 6 January 1936,
at the remote hamlet of Seethapuram in Tiruvalur of the undivided
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
, India, to Rangaiah Naidu and Mangamma.
He did his schooling in Tirutani and during that period, he came under the influence of the renowned
Gandhian The followers of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest figure of the Indian independence movement, are called Gandhians.
Gandhi's legacy includes a wide range of ideas ranging from his dream of ideal India (or ''Rama Rajya)'', economics, environmentalism, ...
s,
N. G. Ranga
Gogineni Ranga Nayukulu (7 November 1900 – 9 June 1995), also known as N. G. Ranga, was an Indian freedom fighter, classical liberal, parliamentarian and farmers' leader. He was the founding president of the Swatantra Party, and an exponen ...
and
Nirmala Deshpande.
He started his social involvement by organizing a few children's clubs called ''Balananda Sangham'' when he was 15.
Later, he joined the ''Bharat Sevak Samaj'',
and got associated with their youth welfare programs during the period 1960-66.
In 1970, Muniratnam moved to
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
where he had the opportunity to meet the social activist, Rajgopal Naidu.
The association paved the way for the organization, ''Rayalaseema Seva Samithi'', in 1981, which was later renamed as ''Rashtriya Seva Samithi'' (RASS).
Muniratnam, a recipient of DLitt (Honoris Causa) from
Sri Venkateswara University
Sri Venkateswara University (commonly referred as S. V. University or SVU) is a public state university located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. The university is named after Lord Venkateswara, whose shrine is located in the city.
The univ ...
,
lived in
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
where RASS has its headquarters.
Muniratnam died from
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
on 6 May 2021, during the
COVID-19 pandemic in India. He was 85 years old.
Rashtriya Seva Samithi and social career
Rashtriya Seva Samithi, erstwhile Rayalaseema Seva Samithi, has hosted the social activities of Muniratnam, ever since he founded the organization, with assistance from Rajgopal Naidu, in 1981.
One of the first attempts was to make modern scientific applications available to the poor farmers of the drought prone Rayalaseema region and he succeeded in establishing a ''Krishi Vigyan Kendra'' under the umbrella of the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Later, his activities focussed on women and child welfare for which several ''Mahila Mandals'' were established.
He is known to have initiated several agro-forestry and horticultural programs by supplying saplings free of cost. The nursery, set up by RASS is reported to have supplied over six hundred thousand saplings and grafts to the farmers.
The organization has developed a 75-acre farm, received as a grant from the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...
, where modern agricultural methods are being implemented.
They have also supplied smokeless ''chulhas'' (kitchen stoves) and have a running program to train the women in using the stoves.
Another area of focus of the organization is in employment generation for which they have established several small scale manufacturing units in garments, assembly of electronic products, toys and foodstuffs. The units provide training and job opportunities to people and help them set up their own units after successful completion of training by providing financial assistance. They claim the scheme has benefitted over 2000 women.
They are also involved in sanitation programs under which 750 low cost comfort stations have been constructed. The program also incorporates waste water disposal by channelising it for irrigation purposes. Awareness campaigns on community health, family planning services, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation are also regularly conducted and a nurses training centre is also in operation, since 1986, under the management of the organization.
They have also set up many maternity care centres in and around
Chittoor district
Chittoor district () is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Chittoor. It has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. It lies in ...
.
Under the guidance of Muniratnam, the organization is reported to have established 600 early education centres, benefitting 30,000 children of the region. The organization is known to have set up 1100 basic education centres in
Chittoor and
Cudappah
Kadapa district (officially: YSR district; formerly: Cuddapah district) is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. On 19 August 2005 nomenclature of “Cuddapah” has been changed as “Kadapa” by the Governm ...
districts to provide non formal education to 32,000 children of which 166 centres are exclusively for girls and another 227 centres open to backward communities.
Rashtriya Seva Samithi has a reported presence in 2500 villages spread in four districts in the Rayalaseema region.
In order to broaden the reach of his activities, Muniratnam has already set up a nationwide organization, ''Sahaya Samithi'', widening the scope of activities to include the rehabilitation of physically and mentally challenged children incorporating assistance for destitute women.
Muniratnam attended conferences and seminars to deliver keynote addresses
and wrote articles to propagate his views.
Positions
Muniratnam, a former 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 ...
,
has served on many government constituted committees and agencies. At the central government level, he has been a member of ''Sakshara Bharat'', (
Ministry of Human Resource Development
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 ...
), Regional Committee of the Council for Advance of People's Action and Rural Technology CAPART, (
Ministry of Rural Development),
National Consultative Committee on De-addiction and Rehabilitation (NCCDR),
(Ministry of Social Justice), the Governing Board of ''Rashtriya Mahila Kosh'' (RMK),
the Executive Committee of the Central Social Welfare Board
and the
National Literacy Mission Authority, (
Ministry of Human Resource Development
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 ...
).
He has held the chairs of the State Resource Center
and ''Jan Sikshan Sansthan'',
two of the
Ministry of Human Resource Development
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 ...
initiatives.
At the State administration level, Muniratnam has held the chair of Orissa Tribal Development Project and has been a member of the GO-NGO Coordination Committee and the Advisory Council of the Vigilance Commission of the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...
.
He was the president of Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj, New Delhi,
vice president of the
All India Harijan Sevak Sangh Delhi,
and the convenor of the National Forum of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (NGO sector). He was the Chairperson of ''Krishi Vigyan Kendra''
of the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research housed at
Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University
Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) is a public agricultural university with its headquarters at the village Lam, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
History
The original Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University was est ...
and ''Balaji Bala Vikas''.
He was also a life member of
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by Dr K.M Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi. The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent instit ...
, Mumbai,
Indian Red Cross Society, Andhra Pradesh, Youth Hostels of India, New Delhi and the
Indian Institute of Public Administration
The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) was established in 1954 and is research and training organization under the Ministry of Personnel of the Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), k ...
(IIPA), Delhi.
Awards and recognitions
Three years after the establishment of Rashtriya Seva Samithi, in 1984-85, Muniratnam received the National award for his contributions to Child welfare.
In 1987, Indian Merchants Chamber awarded him the Jamnalal Bajaj Endowment Award
and another award came his way in 1989, the Indira Gandhi Unity Award from the
National Integration Council, New Delhi.
This was followed by the Shiromani Award (1991), Gem of India Award (1992) from All India Achiever's Association, Priyadarshini Indira Gandhi Award (1992) from the International Institute of Peace and Friendship Society, Balabhandu Award (1995) from the
Government of Andhra Pradesh
Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...
and Dr. Paidi Lakshmaiah Memorial Award, (1998) from the Government of India.
Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation conferred their annual
Jamnalal Bajaj Award on Muniratnam in 1995.
The next year, he received the award from the Indian Council of Social Welfare, Hyderabad, and a year later, the
FICCI
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India.
History
Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla and ...
award.
He has also received Rotary India Award (2004), Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award, (2006) from the
Ministry of Women and Child Development and 75th Avatar Mahotsava Award (2010) from
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Sri Kanchi Monastery or the Sarvagna Peetha, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Kamakshi (Durg ...
.
In 2012, the Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honor 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, ...
.
See also
*
N. G. Ranga
Gogineni Ranga Nayukulu (7 November 1900 – 9 June 1995), also known as N. G. Ranga, was an Indian freedom fighter, classical liberal, parliamentarian and farmers' leader. He was the founding president of the Swatantra Party, and an exponen ...
*
Nirmala Deshpande
*
Harijan Sevak Sangh
*
National Literacy Mission
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muniratnam, G.
1936 births
2021 deaths
Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work
Andhra Pradesh politicians
Social workers
People from Rayalaseema
Social workers from Andhra Pradesh
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India