Married at the age of 10, Usha Chaumar of Alwar was treated as an untouchable as she was engaged in the task of manual scavenging. On Republic Day, she was awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution in the social work. Usha went on to join the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, after which she started motivating people about cleanliness. She was invited to address the theme of ‘Cleanliness and Women’s Rights in India’ at the annual conference of the British Association of South Asian Studies. She is now the President of Sulabh International.
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