Overview

• Varsha Deshpande received the individual category of the 40th UN Population Award for 2025.
• She becomes only the third Indian individual recipient after Indira Gandhi (1983) and JRD Tata (1992).
• The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population won the institutional award for its contributions to population science and policy.
• Deshpande’s advocacy has been instrumental in enforcing India’s PCPNDT Act to curb gender-biased prenatal practices.
• Since founding the Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal in 1990, she has advanced programmes to prevent child marriage, uphold informal-sector rights and secure joint property ownership for women while fostering vocational training and financial independence.