President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Shri upon Dr Ramchandra Godbole and Sunita Godbole jointly for their outstanding contribution to tribal healthcare and social service in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh in a dignified ceremony of the Padma Awards 2026 held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. The prestigious national honour recognises their more than three decades of dedicated service towards healthcare, eradication of malnutrition and the upliftment of tribal communities in some of the country’s most remote and Naxal-affected regions. Congratulating all Padma awardees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the excellence, dedication and tireless service of these distinguished personalities across various fields continue to strengthen the social fabric of the nation and inspire future generations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in his message, stated that the Padma awardees are true torchbearers of social transformation who have embodied the vision of “People’s Padma” through their spirit of selfless service. This year, the President approved a total of 131 Padma Awards, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri honours. The award list reflects broad representation from different sections of society, including 19 women awardees. In addition, 6 persons belonging to the categories of foreigners, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) were honoured, while 16 awards were conferred posthumously.

 

At the national level, several eminent personalities from the fields of art, public service and medicine were honoured, including actor Dharmendra Singh Deol (posthumously), jurist K. T. Thomas, renowned violinist N. Rajam, P. Narayanan and former Kerala Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan (posthumously), who were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan. Originally hailing from Maharashtra, Dr Ramchandra Godbole, an Ayurvedic physician holding a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree, and his wife Sunita Godbole, who holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, decided soon after their marriage in 1990 to dedicate their lives to serving tribal communities in Barsur area of Dantewada district in Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. As a full-time worker of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Dr. Godbole began his mission with a small clinic near the forests of Abujhmad and provided free medical treatment to poor tribal patients in areas where healthcare facilities were virtually non-existent. During the first 12 years of service alone, Dr Godbole successfully treated more than 3,000 critically ill tribal patients. Subsequently, he organised over 114 large-scale medical camps deep inside forest regions, through which more than 9,000 villagers underwent health examinations, while over 400 critically ill patients were referred to charitable hospitals in Raipur for advanced treatment, helping save numerous lives.

 

Sunita Godbole learned the local tribal dialects, including Gondi and Halbi, enabling her to establish direct communication with tribal women and children. Through her sustained efforts, nearly 2,000 children from 37 schools across three districts of Bastar participate annually in health awareness and malnutrition eradication programmes. Over the past five years, her personal initiatives have helped rescue 460 children from severe malnutrition across 24 villages. In addition, she has made significant contributions towards spreading awareness about sickle cell anaemia, protecting child rights and promoting education and self-reliance among tribal girls through vocational initiatives such as tailoring training programmes. At present, the couple is running “Banphool”, an organisation focused on improving the health and well-being of tribal children in Bastar. The Chhattisgarh government and the state administration described the Padma Shri honour conferred upon the Godbole couple as a proud moment for the state, stating that the recognition symbolises national acknowledgement of the struggles, service and healthcare rights of the tribal communities of Bastar.