SEWA Cooperative bank founder and revolutionary at changing lives of women Ela Bhatt has been selected for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2011.
The award has been constituted by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust and is decided by an international jury headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Trust Secretary Suman Dubey said Bhatt’s life is a lesson in dedication and commitment, in caring for the under-privileged and weak, in devoting oneself to the welfare of others, in living by principles and making a difference to the lives of millions.
Bhatt has been selected for the award for her “lifetime achievements in comprehensively empowering women in India and elsewhere through grassroots entrepreneurship, access to shelter, healthcare, micro-finance, micro-insurance, skills, legal services, collective bargaining power and many other means, and thereby promoting equitable development and peace, following Gandhian path of self- reliance and non-violence”, he said.
A labour lawyer by training, Bhatt founded the SEWA in 1972 and under her leadership, the NGO has grown into a 13 lakh strong organisation playing a pioneering role in socio-economic and political empowerment of women.