Binny Yanga

Last Updated: 3/7/2026Category: India
Binny Yanga
  • Association and Role within Society or Entity: Founder of the Oju Welfare Association (OWA); and member of the National Planning Commission's steering committee on women and children.
  • Contributions to the Cooperative Sector: Based in Arunachal Pradesh, Yanga was a pioneer in utilizing the cooperative model to uplift tribal and indigenous women in Northeast India. To bypass exploitative supply chains, she organized grassroots handloom, handicraft, and agricultural processing cooperative societies.
  • These collectives enabled indigenous women artisans to pool their savings, secure modern technical tools, and establish direct marketing channels for their traditional products. Her work created a scalable blueprint for economic self-reliance across mountainous, infrastructure-scarce terrains, combining cultural preservation with democratic business structures.
  • Awards and Recognitions: Conferred the Padma Shri in 2012 by the Government of India, alongside the prestigious IFFCO Sahakarita Ratna Award and the Durgabai Deshmukh Award for her service to women's financial inclusion.