Nari Shakti Puraskars announced on the eve of Women’s Day
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
As part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the week-long celebrations of International Women’s Day started on 1st March, 2022 in New Delhi. The culmination of week-long events will witness conferment of Nari Shakti Puruskar for the years 2020 and 2021 by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind at a special ceremony to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on 8th March, 2022. The award ceremony for the year 2020 could not be held in 2021 due to prevalent situation created by COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister of India will also be having an interactive session with the Awardees to applaud their efforts and to inspire the masses to work for and excel in areas relating to women empowerment.
In all, 28 awards (14 each for the year 2020 and 2021) will be presented to 29 individuals in recognition of their exceptional work in rendering distinguished services towards empowerment of women, especially vulnerable and marginalized women.
‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions, to celebrate women as game changers and catalyst of positive change in the society.
These achievers have not allowed age, geographical barriers or access to resources to come in the way of fulfilling their dreams. Their indomitable spirit will inspire the society at large and the young Indian minds in particular to break gender stereotypes, and stand up against gender inequality and discrimination. These awards are an effort to recognize women as equal partners in the advancement of society.
The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2020 are from fields as diverse as entrepreneurship, agriculture, innovation, social work, arts and crafts, STEMM, and wildlife conservation, etc. The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2021 are from the fields of linguistics, entrepreneurship, agriculture, social work, arts and crafts, Merchant Navy, STEMM, education and literature, disability rights, etc.
Nari Shakti Puraskars announced on the eve of Women’s Day. The list of awardees is below:
Nari Shakti Puruskar 2020
| Sl. No | Name | State/ UT | Domain |
| Anita Gupta | Bihar | Social Entrepreneur | |
| Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava | Gujarat | Organic farmer & Tribal Activist | |
| Nasira Akhter | Jammu & Kashmir | Innovator – Environmental Conservation | |
| Sandhya Dhar | Jammu & Kashmir | Social Worker | |
| Nivruti Rai | Karnataka | Country Head, Intel India | |
| Tiffany Brar | Kerala | Social Worker – Working for Blind people | |
| Padma Yangchan | Ladakh | Revived the lost cuisine & clothing in Leh region | |
| Jodhaiya Bai Baiga | Madhya Pradesh | Tribal Baiga Art Painter | |
| Saylee Nandkishor Agavane | Maharashtra | Down syndrome affected Kathak Dancer | |
| Vanita Jagdeo Borade | Maharashtra | First Women Snake Rescuer | |
| Meera Thakur | Punjab | Sikki Grass Artist | |
| Jaya Muthu, Tejamma (Jointly) | Tamil Nadu | Artisans – Toda embroidery | |
| Ela Lodh (Posthumous) | Tripura | Obstetrician & Gynecologist | |
| Arti Rana | Uttar Pradesh | Handloom Weaver & Teacher | |
| Nari Shakti Puruskar 2021
| |||
| Sathupati Prasanna Sree | Andhra Pradesh | Linguist – preserving minority tribal languages | |
| Tage Rita Takhe | Arunachal Pradesh | Entrepreneur | |
| Madhulika Ramteke | Chhattisgarh | Social Worker | |
| Niranjanaben Mukulbhai Kalarthi | Gujarat | Author & Educationist | |
| Pooja Sharma | Haryana | Farmer & Entrepreneur | |
| Anshul Malhotra | Himachal Pradesh | Weaver | |
| Shobha Gasti | Karnataka | Social Activist – Working for ending Devadasi system | |
| Radhika Menon | Kerala | Captain Merchant Navy – First woman to receive award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from IMO | |
| Kamal Kumbhar | Maharashtra | Social Entrepreneur | |
| Sruti Mohapatra | Odisha | Disability Rights Activist | |
| Batool Begam | Rajasthan | Maand & Bhajan Folk Singer | |
| Thara Rangaswamy | Tamil Nadu | Psychiatrist & Researcher | |
| Neerja Madhav | Uttar Pradesh | Hindi Author – working for rights for transgenders and Tibetan refugees | |
| Neena Gupta | West Bengal | Mathematician | |
March 7,2022
