Human rights defender Vidya Bhushan Rawat, in an email alert, has said that padma awards are out, and unlike the political custom of declaring them on the eve of Republic day, this year they have just been given by the President of India, hoping, Dr Manisha Bangar's name, nominated by various OBC organizations, would not be ignored.
Detailing what these organisations wrote in their nomination, he says people should know about her, especially when Padmashree awards, being given to chosen favourites, have been "reduced to a joke". He has forwarded a note on Dr Bangar which he received from his friends "for the purpose that it should be highlighted."
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Other Backward Caste (OBC) organizations prominently OBC Mahasabha (Dharmendra Kushwaha, General Secretary), OBC Sevasangh (Pradeep Dhobley National President), OBC organizations from Madhya Pradesh, OBC journalists and lawyers nominated Dr Bangar for her extraordinary contributions in uplifting the socio-political and health conditions of the Bahujan community.The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The Awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service). The award seeks to recognize achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved.
This is why OBC organisations nominated Dr Bangar
Dr Bangar is a gastroenterologist and a liver transplant specialist. She is professionally practicing medicine for last two decades. For last two twenty years she has been making invaluable and distinguished contributions in the field of medical research, and education. She has been the member of member of the Governing Body Council of The Liver (INASL) and the South Asian Association for the Study of the Liver (SAASL).Along with the excellent professional medical expertise, she is also a human rights champion. She is an activist and analyst of social and political issues. She is the former vice president of BAMCEF and founding member of National India News Network.
She is an active voice of Bahujan and dedicated Human Rights activist committed to uplift the Bahujan committee.
Dr Bangar’s believes that through fair representation and diversity Bahujan community can realise its full potential.
For the past two decades Dr Bangar has organized numerous seminars on representation to achieve diversity and equality among institutions of India. Through her news media network she is ensuring the fair representation and diversity in the newsroom.
Dr Bangar has been also participating in various anti-caste movements and ensuring safe institutional spaces. For the past two decades Dr Bangar has been actively promoting the rights of the Bahujan community and especially of the women. She is holding national level leadership position for more than a decade now.
For the same Dr Bangar proposed solutions at the Symposium on Sustainable Development Goals – Combating Inequalities for the achievement of SDG on April 13, 2016 in New York City, USA. She was a speaker at the symposium and presented before the UN Secretary General, the impediments in achieving the SDG 2020, 2026 & 2030 in the area of health in India and proposed solutions.
She has also been training and creating grassroots level leadership among the indigenous community youth and women.
Caste based census will smash Brahminical politics
Dr Bangar has been actively campaigning for the caste based census. The government and other non-Bahujan parties are not keen to include caste column in the census and so far avoiding he questions on this subject matter. Dr Bangar through media campaigns and by supporting grassroots organizations and Bahujan activist ensuring the census based on caste.She started a series of panel discussions to aware Bahujan communities about the caste census. Several distinguish faculty and academicians were invited for the talk and discuss the caste census. At the same time she ensured platform to the young emerging leadership advocating for the caste census.
Through her social media account she made appeals and influenced people to lobby together against the Brahminical plot of discouraging caste based census. She has been campaigning for the OBC rights and against Brahmanical supremacy for last two decades.
During the Covid 19 pandemic safety of the people was top most priority and still it is Dr Bangar has been educating masses and raising awareness on Covid-19 for more than 2 years through video messages. She started a special series combating corona with Dr Bangar where she was debunked misinformation and fake news on the deadly virus and also aware the masses by suggesting right means. She led another awareness campaign on covid vaccines asking people get vaccinated.
Alternative media to strengthening the democratic forces and ensured a media platform to Bahujan
Dr Bangar founded and established an alternative digital media platform, National India News Network, in 2017. The news network within three years has grown exponentially and currently a digital platform with 2.04 million subscriber base and 30 million viewership.She also started a weekly Talk Show Programme to discuss public policies and suggest solutions on pertaining issues. On “Policy Matters with Dr Bangar” she discusses, critically analyse and debates various aspects of Health and Education Policies especially from the perspective of its accessibility and benefit to the disadvantaged groups.
As the managing director of he National India News, she ensured the streaming of informed debates on issues of the underprivileged population of India. The commitment of this channel under her leadership for diversity in media was highlighted in the symposium on Media and Caste conducted in Harvard University in February 2020, and it was published in a prominent digital platform “The Print” which has a three million subscriber base. For the last 5 years in news media her utmost priority is strengthen the democratic forces and ensure media platforms to Bahujan
She is also among the founding member of media training institute, National Institute of Nutrition, India, network started in year 2021.
Dr Bangar participated in the Indian Parliamentary Election 2019 and contested for the seat of Member of Parliament from the Nagpur, Maharashtra Lok Sabha Constituency. She is also serving as the National Vice President of the People’s Party of India–D since November 2018.
Honoured with prestigious awards and recognitions
Dr Bangar has been honoured and felicitated by the Kalinga Gastroenterology Foundation (KGF), Orissa, by Prof Emeritus Gastroenterology Department, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Dr SK Acharya the “Kalinga Samman” award for outstanding work to educate the community about Hepatitis control, eradication, health care accessibility and liver disease awareness in August 2017.She has been also honoured by the president of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), Geneva, Switzerland, Charles Gore by the Title Friend of World Hepatitis Alliance in recognition of the exceptional work to educate, increase awareness and improve the lives of the people living with hepatitis in India in general and Andhra Pradesh in particular in May 2013.
Along with the medicine, she has been also honoured by several prestigious awards for her social work. In May 2017 the Organization of Minorities of India USA honoured Dr Bangar with Global Bahujan Award. Along with a couple a awards in the year 2020 she was honoured with prestigious Eashwari Bai Award presented by the Telangana Govt for distinguished service to the marginalized communities and gender empowerment. This award was presented by distinguished ministers and top opposition leaders from Telangana State and the Government of India.
A Bahujan relentlessly working for the Bahujan community for last two decades
Dr Manisha’s relentless work to combat hepatitis made her the only woman in India to be awarded the title of Friend of Alliance (2012-13) by WHO- World Hepatitis Alliance. It was for her exemplary work at the clinical and community level to influence real change in health outcomes for those with chronic hepatitis. In her efforts of making hepatitis free society, she reached out to more than 7 lac population of united Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Since 2009, she is raising awareness about hepatitis by providing free consultation and screening. She is frequently organizing vaccination camps, public events educational programs.Her effort impacted 500 million people around the world which is recognized by the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA).
In the state capital of Telangana she conducted seven major public events on World Hepatitis Day for a decade. Her involvement in 2012-13 with WHA made record on Guinness world Book. She established 50 medical camps and reached out to 2.5 million populations. For the Hepatitis awareness she created a huge grassroots network in 9 districts.
Through the project IC - Hep she made her reach up to taluka level training medical practitioners and community people. She engaged youth and established a network of trained clinicians to support general public in total 9 districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Utilising her position as Governing Council Member and Task Force member of the National and South Asian Liver Disease Associations as well as different nutrition forums she is constantly engaged in policy making and advocacy at grass root levels.
Utilizing her social media influence she engaged with several doctors and organized discussions and awareness programs to combat coronavirus. Her work during the pandemic was recognized by various mainstream media.
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