'Barli Ke Dunia' champion gets MP state social service award

Dr Janak Palta McGilligan is being honoured with Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Social Service Award-2007 by the Madhya Pradesh State Government. The same was announced by the State Government yesterday on the occasion on International Women's Day.

Janak Palta McGilligan, Director of Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, Indore ('Barli Ke Dunia', as we like to call it) has rendered dedicated service since 1985 for tribal and rural women'empowerment and has been trying for their all round development.

The story of the Bahá'í Vocational Institute for Rural Women, now known as the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, is, in fact, the story of many whose lives have been transformed by their experience at the Institute. For the last 23 years she has been imparting six-months to one-year practical training to women with a view to empowering them. Priority is given in these programmes to economically weaker sections like scheduled castes and tribes, other backward class, physically challenged women, orphans, widows and other women who have been dishonoured. She has made this service the sole objective of her life. She had been giving importance to scientific research in her training sessions. These trainees are being further helped by making them appear at the exams of National Institute of Open Schooling.

The women trained by her are employed as trainers also. She also encourages and certifies the works of empowered women by visiting rural areas. In this way the social services rendered by Dr Janak Palta McGilligan proved to be very meaningful. Dr Janak was honoured with an award by All India Women's Conference in 1992 for rendering services for tribal and rural women. She was also awarded by UNEP New York in 1992 and Rio de Janeiro.

She in her own words states - “All the problems relating to the status of women are not only the problems, these are the symptoms of a disease, the root cause is one fundamental barrier, i.e., the attitude of discrimination against women and their devaluation on the basis of gender. To know what is ethical is not enough; the individual must put this knowledge into action in order to become a moral person.” -Janak Palta McGilligan