Kinkri Devi

Kinkri Devi (30 January 1925 – 30 December 2007) was an Indian activist and environmentalist, best known for waging a war on illegal mining and quarrying in her native state of Himachal Pradesh. She never knew how to read or write and learned how to sign her name a few years before her death.

She became well known for her poverty, which was eventually eased by a US-based charity organisation of Himachal Pradesh later in life after reading a Punjabi newspaper account of her living conditions.

Early childhood Devi was born in the village of Ghaton in the Sirmaur district in 1925. She accused that the quarriers were being reckless in their mining of limestone, though the group denied all allegations against them, claiming she was simply blackmailing them.

Death Devi died 30 December 2007 in Chandigarh, India aged 82.

Awards In 1999, Devi was awarded the Stree Shakti Puraskar by the Government of India.