G. Muniratnam

Muniratnam died from COVID-19 on 6 May 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. He was 85 years old.

Another area of focus of the organization is in employment generation for which they have established several small scale manufacturing units in garments, assembly of electronic products, toys and foodstuffs. The units provide training and job opportunities to people and help them set up their own units after successful completion of training by providing financial assistance. They claim the scheme has benefitted over 2000 women. They are also involved in sanitation programs under which 750 low cost comfort stations have been constructed. The program also incorporates waste water disposal by channelising it for irrigation purposes. Awareness campaigns on community health, family planning services, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation are also regularly conducted and a nurses training centre is also in operation, since 1986, under the management of the organization. They have also set up many maternity care centres in and around Chittoor district.

Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation conferred their annual Jamnalal Bajaj Award on Muniratnam in 1995. The next year, he received the award from the Indian Council of Social Welfare, Hyderabad, and a year later, the FICCI award. He has also received Rotary India Award (2004), Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award, (2006) from the Ministry of Women and Child Development and 75th Avatar Mahotsava Award (2010) from Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. In 2012, the Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honor of Padma Shri.

Three years after the establishment of Rashtriya Seva Samithi, in 1984-85, Muniratnam received the National award for his contributions to Child welfare. In 1987, Indian Merchants Chamber awarded him the Jamnalal Bajaj Endowment Award and another award came his way in 1989, the Indira Gandhi Unity Award from the National Integration Council, New Delhi. This was followed by the Shiromani Award (1991), Gem of India Award (1992) from All India Achiever's Association, Priyadarshini Indira Gandhi Award (1992) from the International Institute of Peace and Friendship Society, Balabhandu Award (1995) from the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Dr. Paidi Lakshmaiah Memorial Award, (1998) from the Government of India.

Rashtriya Seva Samithi, erstwhile Rayalaseema Seva Samithi, has hosted the social activities of Muniratnam, ever since he founded the organization, with assistance from Rajgopal Naidu, in 1981. One of the first attempts was to make modern scientific applications available to the poor farmers of the drought prone Rayalaseema region and he succeeded in establishing a Krishi Vigyan Kendra under the umbrella of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Later, his activities focussed on women and child welfare for which several Mahila Mandals were established. He is known to have initiated several agro-forestry and horticultural programs by supplying saplings free of cost. The nursery, set up by RASS is reported to have supplied over six hundred thousand saplings and grafts to the farmers. The organization has developed a 75-acre farm, received as a grant from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, where modern agricultural methods are being implemented. They have also supplied smokeless chulhas (kitchen stoves) and have a running program to train the women in using the stoves.

Gutta Muniratnam (6 January 1936 – 6 May 2021) was an Indian social worker, a member of the National Planning Commission of India and the founder of Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS), a non governmental organization engaged in the social welfare activities in over 2500 socio-economically backward villages in the Rayalaseema region, spread across the present day states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

Muniratnam Nayudu was born on 6 January 1936, at the remote hamlet of Seethapuram in Tiruvalur of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, India, to Rangaiah Naidu and Mangamma. He did his schooling in Tirutani and during that period, he came under the influence of the renowned Gandhians, N. G. Ranga and Nirmala Deshpande. He started his social involvement by organizing a few children's clubs called Balananda Sangham when he was 15. Later, he joined the Bharat Sevak Samaj, and got associated with their youth welfare programs during the period 1960-66. In 1970, Muniratnam moved to Tirupati where he had the opportunity to meet the social activist, Rajgopal Naidu. The association paved the way for the organization, Rayalaseema Seva Samithi, in 1981, which was later renamed as Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS).