Janak Palta McGilligan – Happy Birthday to the Padma Shri-winning Social Worker
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Shri Award to Dr. Mrs. Janak Palta Mcgilligan, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 30, 2015.
Janak Palta McGilligan is an Indian Padma Shri recipient social worker and the founder-director of Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development. Let’s wish a very happy birthday to her.
Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan is an Indian Padma Shri recipient social worker and the founder-director of Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development. It is an Indore-based non-governmental organization working for sustainable community development. She is also a former founder-director of the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women.
Janak Palta was born on 16 February 1948 in a Punjabi family and grew up in Chandigarh. During and after her studies, she worked at various places such as the Provident Fund office, the Centre for Rural and Industrial Development, and the High Court. She married an Irishman, James McGilligan, and together they served and developed the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women as Baha’i pioneers.
Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan is also a Co-founder of Jaivik Setu and the National Coordinator for the Solar Food Processing Network India. The Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development has trained more than 40,000 students in sustainable development. The Barli Development Institute for Rural Women Indore trained more than 6000 tribal girls and young women from 500 villages of India in solar cooking, and food processing, and installed 500 SK 14 solar cookers in Indian villages.
In 2015, she was awarded the Padma Shri award from the government of India, which is the fourth highest civilian award presented to a citizen of India. She has also been awarded the Rajmata Vijyaraje Sindhyia Social Service Award, Manav Seva Award, and Paryavaran Mitra Puraskar.
Staff Reporter
