Sheetal Amte (26 January 1981 – 30 November 2020), also known by the name Sheetal Amte-Karajgi after her marriage, was an Indian

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

expert, disability specialist and social entrepreneur. She was chief executive officer and board member of a non-profit organisation, Maharogi Sewa Samiti, which focuses on helping people disadvantaged by

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

Life

Amte was the daughter of Vikas Amte and Bharati Amte, and the granddaughter of

Baba Amte Murlidhar Devidas Amte (), popularly known as Baba Amte, (26 December 1914 – 9 February 2008) was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from le ...

, who founded a rehabilitation center for individuals affected by leprosy at Anandwan, in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, where she lived on campus. She also founded the Maharogi Sewa Samiti (MSS), Warora, and served as its chief executive officer and board member, which provided a range of health care, rehabilitation, education, agriculture, and economic empowerment programmes. Maharogi Sewa Samiti has contributed significantly in generating livelihood capacities for thousands of marginalised individuals, particularly those living with conditions such as leprosy, physical impairments, and sensory limitations, along with the tribal populace. Since 1949, she operated from one of the most backward districts of Central India, Chandrapur. She studied medicine and became a physician and also completed a master's degree in social entrepreneurship from

Tata Institute of Social Sciences Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is a multi-campus public university in Mumbai, India. It is Asia's oldest institute for professional social work education and was founded in 1936 in the then Bombay Presidency of British India as the S ...

(TISS), and joined her family working at Anandwan to continue her grandfather's vision; her brother Kaustubh is an accountant for Anandwan and her uncle

Prakash Amte Prakash Baba Amte is a social worker from Maharashtra, India. Amte and his wife, Mandakini Amte, were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership'Mandakini Amte Mandakini Amte popularly known as Manda Amte is a medical doctor and social worker from Maharashtra, India. She along with her husband, Prakash Amte were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership' in 2008 for their philanthropic wo ...

are also physicians at the community. She also studied leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School. She helped to secure the financial assistance of the Tech Mahindra Foundation to provide food for children in Anandwan schools. She also led the installation of solar power panels at the community, resulting in Maharogi Sewa Samiti receiving an award for Innovative Energy Project of the Year 2016 from the

Association of Energy Engineers The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) is a non-profit professional society founded in 1977 by Albert Thumann. The organization promotes scientific and education interests in the energy industry through its networking and outreach efforts and ed ...

, and intended to incorporate more smart technology into the community in future to make Anandwan a smart village. Dr. Sheetal was working as a fellow of the World Innovation Organisation, an initiative from World Summit on Innovation and United Nations.

Recognition

2016: * Named a Young Global Leader by the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

. * Selected as Member of World Economic Forum Expert Network on Humanitarian Response. * Selected as a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Innovation Ambassador and an advisor to i4P (Innovations for Peace). * Awarded INK fellowship and Rotary Vocational Excellence Award.

Death

On 30 November 2020, she died by suicide. She was also a painter and is survived by her husband Gautam Karajgi and a seven-year-old son Sharvil.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amte, Sheetal 1981 births 2020 deaths 2020 suicides 21st-century Indian medical doctors 21st-century Indian women scientists 21st-century Indian women medical doctors Medical doctors from Maharashtra People from Chandrapur district Suicides in India Tata Institute of Social Sciences alumni