Chandrasekar Rao

“For a doctor, one of the hardest things is telling a family that someone they love is no more. But for me, it was just as difficult to tell them that a daughter had been born into their family.” These are the words of Dr Ganesh Rakh from Pune, who decided to challenge a bitter reality of society. He watched families distribute sweets and celebrate when a son was born. But when a daughter arrived, relatives would leave the hospital, mothers would be left in tears, and families would ask for discounts on their medical bills. Seeing such disappointment greet the birth of a girl deeply pained him. The 2011 Census figures made him realise just how serious the situation was for girls in India. A father who deeply loves his own nine-year-old daughter, his only child, Dr Ganesh decided he had to do something to change this mindset. The founder of Pune’s Medicare Hospital, he started the ‘Mulgi Vachva Abhiyan’ (Save the Girl Child Campaign). Under this initiative, his hospital charges families absolutely nothing for the delivery when a baby girl is born. His purpose is simple: to make a daughter’s birth a reason for happiness, not a burden. #SaveTheGirlChild #GenderEquality #SocialImpact #ChangeMakers #BeLikeHim [Dr Ganesh Rakh’s Mulgi Vachva Abhiyan, free delivery for baby girls, Pune doctor saving girl children, challenging gender discrimination in India, celebrating the birth of daughters, Medicare Hospital Pune]

At 20, Bittu Tabahi stepped into a polluted river — without gloves, boots or even knowing how to swim — and started cleaning it himself. On 26 January 2026, the BSc student from Madhya Pradesh began cleaning the Ajnar River near a temple in Biaora, removing plastic and other waste that had turned parts of the river into a dumping ground. He even began turning puja waste into compost and pooled money with friends to buy tools and dustbins. The effort cost him around ₹30,000, and at one point, he suffered infections on his hands. Then his work reached thousands online. Some accused him of doing it for likes. Bittu’s surname means “destruction.” Today, he is trying to destroy something else: water pollution. Because sometimes, change begins when one person stops waiting for someone else to start. The Better India's #CivicSenseHero campaign is honouring people who make our communities cleaner, safer, more responsible and kinder. Because a better India is built by people who choose to care, even when no one is watching. Know a #CivicSenseHero? Nominate them and help us celebrate their story. LINK TO NOMINATE : docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F… #CivicSenseHero #CleanIndia #WaterPollution #YouthForChange [River Cleaning Initiative, Water Pollution Awareness, Youth Environmental Activist, Clean River Campaign, Community Cleanliness Drive]