Social worker and Padma Shri awardee Sindhutai Sapkal passed away late in the evening on Tuesday, 4 January.
Sapkal, fondly known as 'the mother of orphan children', died at the age of 73, following a heart attack.
"She had undergone a hernia surgery one-and-a-half months ago and recovery was very slow. Today she died of a heart attack around 8 pm," said Dr Shailesh Puntambekar, medical director of a private Pune hospital where Sapkal had been admitted, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Sakpal, who had weathered great hardship during her formative years, had been married to a 32-year-old man at the age of 12. She had been abandoned by her husband after she gave birth to three children, and had subsequently raised her daughters on her own.
The social worker is credited with setting up of numerous institutes for the welfare of orphans, and has raised over 1,050 orphan children. She had received the Padma Shri Award in 2021 for her work.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his condolences for the deceased.
"Dr Sindhutai Sapkal will be remembered for her noble service to society. Due to her efforts, many children could lead a better quality of life. She also did a lot of work among marginalised communities. Pained by her demise. Condolences to her family and admirers. Om Shanti," he wrote on Twitter.
'Maharashtra Has Lost a Mother': Maharashtra CM, President of India, Others Condole Sakpal's Demise
Several politicians and eminent persons, including President of India Ramnath Kovind and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, took to Twitter to mourn the loss of Sindhutai Sapkal.