Saalumarada Thimmakka was honoured with a cabinet rank on her 111th birthday by Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and was also made an environment ambassador. Padma awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka was appointed as Karnataka environment ambassador with a government cabinet rank on Friday by Basavaraj Bommai-led government.
“Thanks to Chief Minister BS Bommai for appointing Vrikshamate, Nadoja Salumarada Thimmakka as environment ambassador and giving her status of a cabinet minister. The environmental concern of Salumarada Thimmakka, who nurtured trees like her own children, is a model for the entire society,” health minister K Sudhakar tweeted.
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The 111-year-old environmentalist is known for planting 385 banyan trees and 8,000 other trees over 80 years, and was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2019. Born in Gubbi taluk, Tumkur, she was a labourer at a quarry and found solace in planting trees with her husband.
As she does not have children, she raised her trees like her own children. Her contribution to the environment was first recognised in 1995 when she was awarded the National Citizen’s Award of India.
Thimmakka, who celebrated her 111th birthday on June 30, 2022 at Dr. BR Ambedkar Bhavan in Bengaluru, planted trees along a 45-kilometre stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur, which is being asked to be declared a conservation reserve by nature-lovers.
