President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Smt Tulsi Gowda for Social Work in Rashtrapati Bhawan New Delhi on Monday (08-November-2021). She is an environmentalist from Karnataka who has planted more than 30,000 saplings and has been involved in environmental conservation activities for the past six decades. she is also known as ‘Encyclopedia of Forest’. She received award in traditional attire. She belongs to Halakki indigenous tribe in Karnataka. She grew up in poor family. She is planting since the age of 12. According to the India Today, Gowda also joined the forest department as a temporary volunteer, where she was recognised for her dedication to nature preservation. She was later offered a permanent job in the department.