Hyderabad: A decade ago, P Lingamma was among dozens of members of the Chenchu tribal community trapped in bonded labour in Amaragiri village of Nagarkurnool district. Today, she serves as the elected sarpanch of the village — her journey from exploitation to leadership earning national recognition.Lingamma recently received the ‘Aagaaz-e-Shakti’ Award from the Indian School of Democracy in New Delhi. She was honoured at the Constitution Club of India during the event ‘Aagaaz-e-Shakti: Celebrating Women in Politics’, which recognises women leaders in grassroots governance.Born into the Chenchu community, Lingamma grew up in a system where families dependent on fishing in the Krishna River were tied to moneylenders who provided nets and loans but forced them to sell their catch at prices far below market value. Mounting debts kept generations trapped in bondage. “I never imagined that someone like me, would one day travel to Delhi to receive an award,” says P Lingamma.“We believed this was the only way to live,” Lingamma recalls. “We didn’t know it was illegal.” In 2016, district authorities rescued more than 100 bonded labourers from Amaragiri. Release certificates cancelled their debts and opened access to govt welfare schemes. Lingamma later contested and won the sarpanch election. As village head, she has been working to improve basic services such as roads, drinking water, education, and healthcare while encouraging greater participation of tribal women in local governance.
