Chhattisgarh: Know who is Padma awardee Jageshwar Yadav who stole the show with his simplicity

On Thursday, May 9, the President of the Republic of Bharat, Droupadi Murmu, conferred upon the Padma Shri award on the revered personalities across different walks of life in a ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Making to the list from the tribal-dominated Chhattisgarh is Jageshwar Yadav, who was conferred the prestigious “Padmashree Award,” the fourth highest civilian award of Bharat.

Yadav, who walked before the president barefooted in half pant and a half shirt, has been winning accolades for his simplicity from all quarters.

A resident of Bhitarghara village in Jashpur, a district from which the Chief Minister himself comes, Jageshwar Yadav, alias Birhor Ke Bhai, has been tirelessly working for the upliftment of the Pahadi Korva and Birhor tribes for decades.

Yadav had established an ashram in Jashpur with the aim of eradicating illiteracy and elevating healthcare standards among the Birhor and Pahadi Korva tribes, which reside mainly in the Sarguja region.

The tribal welfare worker has been acknowledged for his work and his positive attitude, given the fact that most of the people from the Pahadi Korva and Birhor tribes are reluctant to interact with outsiders, and the community was once reported to be even terrified by the marks of shoes.

Earlier, Yadav was also awarded the prestigious Sahid Veer Narayan Singh award for his exceptional contribution towards helping the cause of the tribal people in 2015.

He also played a significant role in the vaccination drive during the COVID-19 pandemic by addressing hesitancy about the vaccine. Yadav had also contributed immensely to reducing the child mortality rate in the remote regions of the Sarguja division of Chhattisgarh.

Earlier, after the announcement of the awards for this year, the state’s Chief Minister (CM), Vishnu Deo Sai, also extended his wishes to Yadav and two other awardees who were selected for the prestigious award from the state.

In a tweet on the social media platform X, the CM, while expressing his delight over the development, congratulated all the selected awardees for the prestigious award.

“The selection of Jageshwar Yadav, a social worker from Jashpur who made a resolve to serve the Pahadi Korva (A protected tribal group) people of the Sarguja region and dedicated his life to it,” tweeted CM Sai.

The Chief Minister also dialled Jageshwar Yadav, congratulating him for achieving these exceptional feats, and requesting that he continue his work for the upliftment of the Pahadi Korva tribes.

Notably, the Union Government announced on January 25 the much-awaited “Padma Award” or the “People’s Award” for the year 2024, under which 132 eminent people from different backgrounds and streams were chosen by the government to receive the prestigious civilian awards this year.

Other than Yadav, traditional medicine practitioners from Narayanpur, Hemchand Manjhi, and Kathak artist Ramlal Bareth had also made it to the list from the tribal dominated Chhattisgarh.

Bareth, a resident of Raigarh, has been a prominent name in the field of classical Kathak dancing, for which he has also been awarded the academy awards for his contribution. Bareth was also conferred the award on Thursday.

Significantly, Vaidraj Manjhi, who has been serving the people of the Maoist affected Naratyanpur and adjoining regions, was conferred the prestigious award on April 22.