Nidhi Mishra, Lakhimpur

CATEGORY- HT Sadda Haq

A resident of Kheri Town locality, Nidhi is just 20 and doing her graduation in second year. Belonging to a poor family, she is well-aware about the hardships the common uneducated, undereducated or resourceless women face in their daily lives — including name in the ration card lists, obtaining Aadhar Card, opening up a bank account etc.

“In 2016, when I was in my first year of graduation, hundreds of eligible women were dropped from ration card lists. No government officials or locals came to their help though ration card is a basic need for the poor families,” she said. Absence of voter id or Aadhar card was the reason for mismatch. She staged a peaceful agitation at the Collectorate office with the aggrieved women demanding justice and fair probe under the name of ‘Garib Parivar’. All of them wore blue sarees while she wore a blue salwarkurta with black round patches. Her agitation got the name of Aasmani Sena (blue brigade) and soon all the eligible women were enrolled in the list and limit of cards for Kheri town increased by 10%. Aasmani Sena, formed on Jan 1, 2016, has become a major platform for the poor women to fight for their rights. It has 1,480 dedicated members.

Recently, she launched an agitation to vacate a community hall from illegal encroachments so that residents of the town could be benefitted. She is all praise for her father RP Mishra and her two younger sisters.

NOMINATED BY DEOKANT PANDEY