NSRI Team Celebrates Swachhotsav 2026 with Padma Shri Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan

Soybean Research Institute Scientists learnt " Swachhata Hi Seva| from Padma Shri Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan

Indore

As part of Swachhata Hi Seva (Swachhotsav) 2026, a team from ICAR–National Soybean Research Institute (NSRI), Indore, visited the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development, Sanawadiya, Indore, established by Padma Shri awardee and environmentalist Dr.Mrs Janak Palta McGilligan and her husband, late Mr James McGilligan O. B. E. Dr. Hemant Maheshwari, Scientist (Agricultural Microbiology), along with technical officers Rakesh Chandra Shakya, Rishap, and Deepak Upadhyaya, interacted with Dr. McGilligan and visited the Centre's solar dryer, solar-based food-processing facilities, electricity-generation unit, and windmill.

Dr. McGilligan shared her inspiring four-decade journey of working with rural and tribal communities. Following open-heart surgery at the age of 17, she dedicated her life to social service, guided by the philosophy: “How we will die is not in our hands, but how we choose to live is in our hands.” She established the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, focusing on tribal women’s empowerment, livelihood development, capacity building, and green technologies. She highlighted initiatives in solar food processing, solar drying, eco-friendly farming, sanitation, renewable energy, and sustainable community development. The Barli Institute established Madhya Pradesh’s first solar kitchen, serving 40–50 people daily. Dr. McGilligan had worked in 302 villages of Alirajpur, Jhabua, and Dhar, providing Cleanliness, Zerowaste sanitation and livelihood training, while the Centre has 1,87,000 people to date. She has also participated in major national and international forums, including the World Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Emphasizing that cleanliness goes beyond physical hygiene, she stressed plastic free reduction, zero-waste living, organic farming, water conservation, renewable energy, and nature conservation.

This session was also attended by special guests from Noida, Mrs Aryama Sanyal Retd Airport Director, Mrs Poonam Palta dedicated Teacher and Deepika Student of Ayurved from Chandigarh , Vinay Kakrecha a Social worker from Indore..

The NSRI team drew inspiration from her sustainable lifestyle and emphasized strengthening green-campus initiatives, waste management, resource conservation and environmentally responsible practices at the institute. “Cleanliness is not merely a campaign; it is a sustainable way of life and a collective responsibility.”