Ishita Khanna (North)
31-year-old Ishita Khanna has made it her mission to help residents of Spiti combat climate change. She moved out of Delhi to set up Ecosphere in the Spiti valley. Her aim is to build a green local economy. She got villagers to harvest a local berry, the Seabuckthorn. The fruit is used to make juices and jams. For two weeks a year, when the berry is harvested, the women in 30 Spiti villages earn upto 800 rupees a day. Ishita is also encouraging eco tourism in the area, and is also working to get the locals to give up firewood and use solar technology instead.

Naseema Khatoon (East Zone)
The daughter of a sex worker, 28 year old Naseema Khatoon, decided to fight to change the deplorable lives of those in the flesh trade. She formed an organization, Parcham, with sex workers, their children and those who have retired from the profession. They work to protect these people from police atrocities, get education for their children and provide alternative sources of income for those who want to quit the profession. Nashima’s main mission is to shake off the stigma that sex workers have to live with.

Vijaylaxmi Sharma (West)
Vijaylaxmi was a child bride who refused to marry. Resident of Paghi village in Rajasthan, she was forced to marry young. She took on her family and relatives. Not only did she successfully resist the marriage but also fought her way through studying further. She also dissuaded the parents of other minor girls in the village from getting them married. With the help of a local NGO she has succeeded in getting the parents of married minor girls, to postpone their 'vidai' until they turn 18. At 22, Vijaylaxmi is now doing her MA and preparing for her B.Ed. She wants to be a teacher and continue with her work in her village