Deccan Development Society women secure prestigious UN award

Zaheerabad: The women of Deccan Development Society sangams have bagged one of the most coveted UN awards 'Equator Prize for 2019'. Since its inception in 2002, only nine awards out a total 223 awards were given to India. The non-literate, dalit, under privileged women from DDS sangams have received this award and are the only Indian group to have done so in 2019.

Maisanagari Ratnamma, Begari Tuljamma, Nagwar Sunandamma, Yerrolla Kanakamma, Nadimidoddi Anjamma, Chilkapalli Ansuyamma of DDS sangams achieved the rare feat.

Maisanagari Ratnamma, leader of women Sangams in Algole, who was the first rural dalit women recipient of the Vriksha Mitra award from the Ministry of Environment, Government of India in 1993.

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Begari Tuljamma from Pastapur, a representative of over 30 DDS sangams that carried out the revolutionary community designed, community controlled localised public distribution system in which over 5,300 acres of village wore a millet cover and halted the desertification of farmlands in the Zaheerabad region.

Nagwar Sunandamma, representing the Indu DDS Sangam, who was instrumental in turning a 90-acre stony life-less hillock into a lush-green forest planting over 200 thousand trees and contributing to the fight against climate change.

Yerrolla Kanakamma from Machnoor village who, over 25, years has been protecting a patch of land on which she and her sangam established a sanctuary for rare local medicinal plants and turned it into a village medicinal common.

Nadimidoddi Anjamma from Gangwar who is known for saving and conserving nearly 100 traditional seed varieties and has been a community seed keeper for over 25 years. Now decorated with many local, regional and national awards, Anjamma is a sterling example of how an ecologically conscious woman can transcend her marginalisation, gender and economic deprivations to become an almost national icon.

Chilkapalli Ansuyamma, a single woman, an amazing green finger who has designed, implemented and inspired several thousands of sangam women to transform wastelands into neighbourhood forests and planted millions of trees.

The award sights DDS sangam women as 'an outstanding example of a local, nature-based solution to climate change and sustainable development.' This year a total of 847 nominations have been received by the UN from 127 countries all over the world. Of them only 20 were given this prestigious award. The women of DDS sangham have the honour of being among these top 20.

Over the last 30 years, about 5,000 dalit women of DDS sangams have made significant contribution towards environment, combating climate change, food and nutritional security, providing mother earth with lush green cover, establishing iconic village level indigenous seed banks and many more. The UNDP Equator prize comes as a crowning glory for all their efforts.

The 10, 000 USD prize will be officially declared on June 5th, the World Environment Day and will be handed over to the DDS community members at New York in September 2019 in a special ceremony at UN Headquarters. DDS women are the first group in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh to have received this award and therefore will keep the Telugu flag flying at this ceremony.

A special celebratory event being held in Pastapur village where the Deccan Development Society is situated on Wednesday. The five selected women leaders from various sangams will be felicitated by the DDS for their significant contribution in the three decades of journey of DDS sangams from fighting for equality to receiving Equator Prize.