‘Stork Sister’ Purnima Devi wins businessline Changemaker of the Year award; Border Roads Organisation and M.R. Rajagopal crowned Iconic Changemakers

At a moving ceremony, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman bestowed the businessline Changemaker of the Year award upon grassroots conservationist Purnima Devi Barman, renowned for safeguarding the endangered greater adjutant stork and inspiring village women to protect the bird alongside becoming self-reliant entrepreneurs.

BORDER ROADS ORGANISATION (BRO), responsible for constructing and maintaining vital infrastructure in India's remote border regions, was named Iconic Changemaker, alongside M.R. Rajagopal, the "pain doctor" and founder of Pallium India who integrated palliative care into mainstream healthcare services.

In her acceptance speech, Purnima Devi declared, "When women rise, magic happens and the hargila (stork) takes flight." The eighth edition of the event featured awards in six categories - Digital Transformation, Social Transformation, Financial Transformation, Young Changemaker, Iconic Changemaker, and Changemaker of the Year. The recipient of the Digital Transformation award was Aparna Hegde, founder of ARMMAN, a non-profit leveraging technology to assist expectant mothers and guide them.

Social Transformation honored two recipients - Project Sambandh, established by retired Colonel Vembu Shankar, supporting families of armed forces personnel who passed away while serving but not in combat, and Sankara Eye Foundation, expanding free eye care. Gourmet Popcornica earned the Financial Transformation award for creating a fully-integrated farm-to-consumer value chain across multiple states.

Ariana Agarwal, a 16-year-old girl from Jaipur, was awarded Young Changemaker for raising awareness about invisible gig workers. Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that India's change-makers are the driving force behind positive impact on the ground, even as states and the center contribute significantly. The event was inaugurated by Nirmala Lakshman, Director of THG Publishing, who highlighted how the occasion acknowledges the power of ideas and the determination to see them through.

Raghuvir Srinivasan, Editor of businessline, revealed that 1,600 nominations were received, and selecting winners was a daunting task. Businessline's 2026 awards were presented by Sastra Deemed University and powered by City Union Bank, with State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and several other organizations as associate partners.