Uttarakhand: Famous social worker Padmashree Awadhesh Kaushal passed away, breathed his last in Dehradun
Eminent social worker and Padma Shri Avadhesh Kaushal (87) died on Tuesday morning in a private hospital in the city. Kaushal’s daughter-in-law Ruchi Kaushal told that he was ill for a long time. His organs had stopped functioning from Monday and breathed his last at 5 am on Tuesday.
Kaushal, the founder of the NGO Rural Litigation and Enlightenment Center (RULAK), worked his entire life for human rights and environment. He not only participated in many social works through the organization, but also played an important role in resolving the burning problems. He had also filed a petition in the High Court regarding the additional facilities available to the former Chief Ministers. There was a wave of mourning after the news of Kaushal’s death. Common people including politicians, social activists and environmentalists paid tribute to him.
Hundreds of people attended his last yatra that came out from the Rulak complex on Rajpur Road. His last rites were performed at Moksha Dham in Nalapani. Kaushal is credited with putting a stop to mining in Mussoorie in the 80s. He is considered the messiah of the nomadic tribe Gujjars. A long administrative and legal battle was fought for their rights. He also had to go to jail in 2015 while fighting for the Gujjars. Kaushal, who raised his voice against corruption, had gone to the Uttarakhand High Court a few years ago to recover the expenditure on other facilities including accommodation provided to the former Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand.
Credit to Kaushal for ending bonded labor
Kaushal was quite vocal against the functioning of the governments. The credit of the Bonded Labor Abolition Act-1976 implemented in the country goes to him only. After visiting all the villages in the year 1972, when Kaushal found that people were being forced to do bonded labor in Chakrata area on a large scale, he stood against it. He met the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and got the bonded labor survey done. In the government data itself, 19 thousand bonded laborers were found.
CM expressed grief
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami condoled the death of Padmashree Awadhesh Kaushal. At the same time, there is a wave of mourning in social organizations due to his death.
सामाजिक हितों को लेकर सदैव संघर्षशील रहे प्रसिद्ध समाजसेवी पद्मश्री से अलंकृत श्री अवधेश कौशल जी के निधन का दुःखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ।
ईश्वर पुण्यात्मा को अपने श्रीचरणों में स्थान एवं शोक संतप्त परिजनों को यह दुःख सहन करने की शक्ति प्रदान करें।
ॐ शांति: शांति: शांति:
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) July 12, 2022
