G. Muniratnam

Gutta Muniratnam (6 January 1936 – 6 May 2021) was an Indian social worker, a member of the National Planning Commission of India and the founder of Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS), a non governmental organization engaged in the social welfare activities in over 2500 socio-economically backward villages in the Rayalaseema region, spread across the present day states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

Biography Muniratnam Nayudu was born on 6 January 1936, at the remote hamlet of Seethapuram in Tiruvalur of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, India, to Rangaiah Naidu and Mangamma. He did his schooling in Tirutani and during that period, he came under the influence of the renowned Gandhians, N. G. Ranga and Nirmala Deshpande. and got associated with their youth welfare programs during the period 1960-66.

Muniratnam died from COVID-19 on 6 May 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. He was 85 years old.

Rashtriya Seva Samithi and social career Rashtriya Seva Samithi, erstwhile Rayalaseema Seva Samithi, has hosted the social activities of Muniratnam, ever since he founded the organization, with assistance from Rajgopal Naidu, in 1981. and wrote articles to propagate his views.

Positions Muniratnam, a former member of the National Planning Commission of India, National Consultative Committee on De-addiction and Rehabilitation (NCCDR), and the National Literacy Mission Authority, (Ministry of Human Resource Development). two of the Ministry of Human Resource Development initiatives. of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research housed at Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University He was also a life member of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, Indian Red Cross Society, Andhra Pradesh, Youth Hostels of India, New Delhi and the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Delhi.

Awards and recognitions Three years after the establishment of Rashtriya Seva Samithi, in 1984-85, Muniratnam received the National award for his contributions to Child welfare. In 1987, Indian Merchants Chamber awarded him the Jamnalal Bajaj Endowment Award and another award came his way in 1989, the Indira Gandhi Unity Award from the National Integration Council, New Delhi. This was followed by the Shiromani Award (1991), Gem of India Award (1992) from All India Achiever's Association, Priyadarshini Indira Gandhi Award (1992) from the International Institute of Peace and Friendship Society, Balabhandu Award (1995) from the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Dr. Paidi Lakshmaiah Memorial Award, (1998) from the Government of India.

Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation conferred their annual Jamnalal Bajaj Award on Muniratnam in 1995. The next year, he received the award from the Indian Council of Social Welfare, Hyderabad, and a year later, the FICCI award. He has also received Rotary India Award (2004), Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award, (2006) from the Ministry of Women and Child Development and 75th Avatar Mahotsava Award (2010) from Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. In 2012, the Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honor of Padma Shri.