Recognised with the Padma Shri, Jumde Yomgam Gamlin has spent decades empowering women, rehabilitating people battling addiction, and building stronger communities across Arunachal Pradesh.
Jumde Yomgam Gamlin, a veteran social worker from Arunachal Pradesh, was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025 for her lifelong contribution to social work. Through her organisation, Mother’s Vision, she has led initiatives focused on drug de-addiction, women’s empowerment, rural development and community rehabilitation.
Her work has helped hundreds of individuals recover from substance abuse while enabling thousands of women to achieve financial independence through skill development and livelihood opportunities.
Over the past decade, Gamlin has worked closely with local communities, village leaders and government agencies to address the social consequences of addiction and poverty. Her rehabilitation programmes, awareness campaigns and women’s self-help initiatives have been widely recognised for creating sustainable, community-driven change across several districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
From Personal Hardship to a Mission of Social Transformation
Born on 1 February 1965 in Akker Yomgam village of West Siang district, Jumde Yomgam Gamlin overcame significant financial challenges during her childhood after losing her father at an early age. According to official accounts, she worked as a daily wage labourer while pursuing her education an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to serving vulnerable communities.
She began her career in 1980 as a Gram Sevika in the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and went on to serve for nearly 35 years, eventually becoming a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO). Throughout her government service, she promoted women’s welfare, child development and rural livelihoods before taking voluntary retirement to dedicate herself entirely to social work.
In 2013, she founded Mother’s Vision in Aalo, West Siang district. Starting as a community initiative led by local women, the organisation gradually expanded into a structured welfare institution providing de-addiction services, counselling, livelihood support and awareness programmes across the state.
Building Recovery, Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods
Under Gamlin’s leadership, Mother’s Vision established a 30-bed de-addiction and rehabilitation centre, offering counselling, rehabilitation and community reintegration for people struggling with substance abuse. According to available reports, the organisation has helped more than 700 individuals recover from addiction while promoting rehabilitation over punishment.
Beyond rehabilitation, Gamlin has worked extensively to reduce illegal cultivation of marijuana and opium in parts of Arunachal Pradesh by engaging communities, women volunteers and local leaders in awareness campaigns and alternative livelihood initiatives.
Her organisation has also empowered more than 2,000 women through self-help groups, vocational training, entrepreneurship support and financial assistance. Training programmes include tailoring, embroidery, handicrafts, candle making and other income-generating skills designed to strengthen household incomes and women’s economic independence.
Alongside these efforts, Mother’s Vision continues to promote youth counselling, community awareness and rural development, reinforcing the role of local participation in addressing social challenges.
A Legacy Rooted in Compassion and Community Participation
Jumde Yomgam Gamlin’s work demonstrates how lasting social change can emerge from sustained grassroots engagement rather than large-scale interventions alone. By combining rehabilitation, livelihood development and women’s empowerment, she has helped build resilient communities while restoring dignity to people affected by addiction and economic hardship.
As recognition through the Padma Shri brings national attention to her decades of service, her journey offers a compelling example of how empathy, community participation and long-term commitment can transform lives.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Jumde Yomgam Gamlin’s journey illustrates how meaningful social change is often driven by sustained community engagement rather than short-term interventions. By addressing addiction through rehabilitation, empowering women with livelihood opportunities, and encouraging collective participation, her work demonstrates that lasting development begins with restoring dignity and creating pathways to self-reliance.
As India continues to grapple with substance abuse, unemployment and rural inequality, her model highlights the value of prevention, compassion and community-led solutions. Her Padma Shri recognition not only celebrates decades of dedicated service but also prompts an important question: how can policymakers, institutions and citizens work together to strengthen and replicate such grassroots initiatives across the country?
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