New Delhi: Two women from Jammu and Kashmir are among the 29 awardees to be conferred with the prestigious Nari Shakti Puruskar for the years 2020 and 2021 by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind at a special ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi tomorrow.
The award ceremony will mark the culmination of week-long celebrations of International Women’s Day, which started on March 1, 2022 in New Delhi, as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
The award ceremony for the year 2020 could not be held in 2021 due to the prevalent situation created by COVID-19 pandemic.
Two women from Jammu and Kashmir include Nasira Akhter, who is an innovator in the field of Environmental Conservation and Sandhya Dhar, who is a social worker.
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 catalysts 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,” said an official statement.
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.