Veteran social worker from Maharashtra, Prakash Baba Amte has tested positive for COVD-19. As per reports, the 72-year old has been hospitalized in Nagpur for further course of treatment. The acclaimed social worker was unwell for the past couple of days but his RT-PCR tests turned out to be negative. Since his health showed no improvements he was tested for COVID-19 and the tests returned positive. Amte has received many national and international awards for his social work.
The biographical film Dr Prakash Baba Amte : The Real Hero starring Nana Patekar as Prakash Amte and Sonali Kulkarni as Mandakini Amte was released on 10 October 2014.The film has been released in three languages, Hindi, Marathi and English. In 2002, he was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India. Amte and his wife, Mandakini Amte, were awarded the Magsaysay Award for 'Community Leadership' in 2008 for their philanthropic work in the form of the Lok Biradari Prakalp amongst the Madia Gonds in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and the neighbouring states of Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. In November 2019 he was awarded with ICMR Lifetime Achievement Award by Bill Gates.