India, Jan. 26 -- Social worker Budhri Tati, popularly known as Badi Didi, and Ramchandra Godbole and his wife Sunita, who have taken affordable healthcare to remote tribal areas, have been selected for the Padma Shri awards from Chhattisgarh.

The Union government on Republic Day eve announced 131 Padma awards for 2026, comprising five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards. The list includes two duo cases, where an award to two individuals is counted as one.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai congratulated the awardees, calling their selection a matter of pride for the state. He said it was particularly noteworthy that all three have served for decades in remote and Naxal-affected areas of the Bastar region.

Tati, a re...