Exploring Womanhood Foundation “EWF’s VanDurga Awards 2022” are presented to outstanding women for wildlife and forest protection and conservation.
Award ceremony honoured with the presense of Chief Guest, Shree. Sree Bhagwan (Retd. IFS) Head of Forest Force and worked upto March, 2018, Vice Chairman of Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal, Bench Nagpur.
S.S. Mishra (Retd. IFS) Retired APPCF Maharashtra Forest Department.
Ravi Wankhede (Retd.IFS )ex CCF.
T.S Rawal, Senior Chartered accountant.
With organizer Deepali Atul Deokar, Founder and Director Exploring Womanhood Foundation.
Guests are welcomed by presenting a plant and done lighting of lamp.
EWF VanDurga’s three awards are presented to working women in Forest Department and one of the award is also given to the spouse of a forest officer who offered distinguished service to the department during his entire career. Seema Kishor Mishrikotkar was awarded in this category.
Kishor Mishrikotkar, a known face in the department who retired as a DFO, was responsible for the crackdown on poachers and illicit fishing in Pench. He seized several tiger skins and performed many wildlife rescue operations including the one at Katlabodi where a tigress fell into an empty well. He was the one who raided a canteen in an assembly where quail and partridges were served.
“Nothing is more rewarding to me than my spouse who has been honoured. She has been effectively handling home affairs whenever I was in the field attending to the call of duty,” said Mishrikotkar.
The Van Durga awardees included RFO Swati Maheshkar, who during her postings at Chandrapur, Bhadravati and Ballarshah, fought encroachers and wildlife criminals, besides handling man-animal conflict and rescue operations.
The woman Ranger Shobha Wakchaure, Round Officer, Sinnar, Nashik says “The forest is an open treasure trove and to protect it is not an easy job. Yet women forester proved that forestry work is no more a male bastion.
“We should realise it is a time to pay back what we take from nature”.
Rujita Shelar, Forest Guard effectively implimented the Jalyuct Shivar Scheme in 350 hector area. She removed enchrochments on 90 hectors of forest and arrested so many sandalwood smugglers.
She also rescued several animanls and rehabilitation in wild.
Chief guest in his speech said “Even as the Women’s Reservation Bill that seeks to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women has been stuck, women should get 33% reservation in jobs, said Shree Bhagwan, vice-chairman, Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT), Nagpur
“In 1999, while working in the forest department in Chandrapur, I pushed for 30% of appointments for women. This did not augur well with my seniors, but I’m happy that today one of the Van Durga awardees is a woman whom I had appointed,” Shree Sree Bhagwan recalled.
EWF is honoured and privileges to have video messages from
Mr. Sudhirbhau Munguntiwar, Forest Minister of Maharashtra
Mr. Chris Galiris, President, International Rangers Federation from South Africa
Mr. Rohit Singh, President of Asian Ranger Federation from Singapore
Occasion graced by well known personalities from Forest Department, Media, NGO, Healthcare sector, Entrepreneur, Law, Social worker, Education and many more
We EWF are grateful thanks to our patrons
PNG Jewllers, Nagpur
Just For Hearts, Pune
Green Life, Nagpur
Exploring Womanhood Collection, Nagpur
A big congratulations to brave lady/woman rangers!!
We are so proud of you!!
