The President of India,  Ram Nath Kovind, presented Nari Shakti Puraskar on the occasion of International Women's Day at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre (RBCC) on March 8, 2020. 

The Nari Shakti Puraskar, instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, is 'National Award in recognition of exceptional work for women empowerment' conferred every year on March 8 as a mark of respect and recognition for those who have demonstrated exemplary courage and stellar contribution towards empowerment of women.

President Kovind presents the Nari Shakti Puraskar on International Women's Day in New Delhi
President Kovind presents the Nari Shakti Puraskar on International Women's Day in New Delhi

Before the award presentation ceremony, a special screening of 'Swachh Bharat – India's Sanitation Story' was held at RBCC for the audience. This short film showcases the massive behaviour change that occurred across rural India under the Swachh Bharat Mission and the role that women played in leading over 55 crore people to shun the age-old practice of open defecation

Here's the list of Nari Shakti awardees: 

Padala Bhudevi

Padala Bhudevi is a role model for women farmers and rural women entrepreneurs. She has been working for the development of tribal women, widows, Podu lands through a community-based organization- CAVS (Chennai Adhivasi Vikas Society), established by her father, in 1996. She is also the Director of Manyam Grains Pvt Ltd and Manyadeepika Farmers Producer Company Ltd. She has been involved in spreading awareness on improving mother and child nutritional health, with assistance from the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA).

She has also trained 30 women in making Mehendi cones and hair care products. Despite being forcefully married at the age of 11 years, facing mental and physical torture from husband and in-laws, Padala Bhudevi has come a long way, single-handedly raising 3 daughters and successfully motivating women to participate in agri-entrepreneurial activities

Bina Devi 

Bina Devi is fondly known as 'Mushroom Mahila' for popularizing mushroom cultivation. She is a mushroom grower and was 'Sarpanch' of Dhauri Panchayat, Tetiabamber block for 5 years. Over the years, she has trained farmers on mushroom farming, organic farming, vermin-compost production, organic insecticide preparation at home. She has generated self-employment among rural women and also engaged in dairy farming and goat farming.

She has popularized mushroom production in 5 blocks and 105 neighbouring villages in Munger district, impacting 1500 women by making them adopt mushroom farming. She has been involved in spreading digital literacy and was awarded for training 700 women on how to use mobile by Tata Trusts. She has trained 2500 farmers on SRI Method crop farming and supported the formulation of Self Help Groups.

Arifa Jan

Arifa is the founder of Numdha Handicrafts and responsible for reviving the lost art of Numdha handicrafts. She has trained more than 100 women in Kashmir. She has employed 25 Kashmiri craft people and increased wages of her employees from Rs. 175 to 450.

Despite financial constraints and criticized for being a female entrepreneur, she has actively promoted new designs of Numdhas. She was conferred ' Outstanding Achievement in the revival of felting craft of Kashmir by Choudhary Group of Industries, a leading business house in Kashmir in 2013, Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 and S-E-A Award in an event organised by Coca Cola and Jagrati Yatra

Chami Murmu

Chami has been a passionate environmentalist for 24 years. She is the Chief Functionary Officer- Sahyogi Mahila, Rajnagar, Jharkhand. She has been involved in the planting of more than 25 lakh trees with the Forest Department and mobilized more than 3000 women.

She has got constructed watersheds, goat sheds, poultry sheds and nutrition gardens. She has actively worked towards protecting local wildlife by saving forests from Tiber mafia and Naxalites. She is fondly known as the 'Lady Tarzan' of Jharkhand. She has received the Indira Priyadarshani Vriksha Mitra Award from Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1996.

Nilza Wangmo

Nilza is an entrepreneur, running Alchi Kitchen Restaurant. The restaurant is the first one to serve traditional Ladakhi cuisines including some exquisite and forgotten recipes. She has trained 20 women from remote areas of Ladakh who manage the restaurant. She has travelled and represented Ladakhi recipes in 5-star hotels in India.

She has been involved in charitable works with People's Action Group for Inclusion and Rights, a movement to create a prejudice-free society and sponsored girl's education. Despite having lost her father before her birth and dropping out of college due to financial constraints, Nilza is a successful restaurateur representing Ladakhi recipes at pan India level.

Rashmi Urdhwardeshe 

She is automotive and R&D professional for 36 years. Since 2014, she has been the Director of the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) which was founded in the year 1966 with the support from Government of India. She has rich experience in the fields of automotive R&D, testing and homologation, Framing of test standards and regulations, etc.

She developed electronic controls of hydraulic testing machines and contributed towards emission measurements under which the first-ever emission Laboratory was formed in India. She has undertaken the creation of National Automotive Technology Museum. She has also co-authored a book on total quality management. She has worked for the signing of MoU with Michelin India to drive forward collaboration in automobile technologies projects in India.

Mann Kaur [ 103 years old]

Known as 'Miracle from Chandigarh', Mann Kaur started her athletic career at the age of 93. She won 4 Gold (Track and Field) at World Masters Athletic Championship, Poland. She has set a record by becoming the world's fastest centenarian at the American Masters Game, 2016.

She has won more than 20 medals in World Masters Games and America Masters Game, Gold, 100 m World Masters Games at New Zealand in 2017, 100, and 200 m at National Level, Gold (100 m and 200m) at Worlds Master Championship at the USA in 2013. She won a silver in the long jump (3.21 m) and a bronze in the 100 m.

She has been associated with Fit India Movement. She is the oldest person to walk along the top of Auckland's Sky Tower (2017). Despite suffering from osteoporosis, she has displayed how the determination is key to success.

Kalavati Devi 

She is the lady mason, a driving force towards reducing open defecation in the district of Kanpur. She is responsible for building 4000 + toilets in villages in and around Kanpur. She has gone door to door to create awareness about the ills of open defecation and travelled for multiple hours to villages across Kanpur.

Her indomitable spirit did not shake despite being a single earner in the family, taking care of her elder daughter and her two grandchildren after the untimely death of her husband and son-in-law. Her unparalleled contribution to society has been recognized by Neurobion Forte.

Tashi and Nungshi Malik

Tashi and Nungshi are mountaineers for more than 8 years. They are the first female twins to scale Mt Everest in 2013. They have scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa in 2015 and Mt. Vinson, Antarctica in 2014, Puncak Jaya in Australia in 2014 and Mt. Elbrus in Europe in 2013.

They founded NungshiTashi Foundation to develop mountaineering as a sport and empower girls in 2015. They have been conferred with Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2016 and Leif Erikson Young Explorers Award in 2016.

Kaushiki Chakroborty

She is an Indian classical vocalist with more than 15 years of experience, and she is Khayal and Thumri exponent. She has performed internationally in 5+ countries including the USA and UK. She has sung 90+ songs from albums like 'Vishwaroopam II', 'Mirzya'.

She belongs to the Patiala Gharana. In 2015, she founded of Sakhi Women's Musical Group, first all-women classical band, joined by famous classical musicians. She has been conferred Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puruskar by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2010.

Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawanna Kanth, Mohana Singh Jitarwal 

For Indian Air Force's first women fighter pilots Mohana Singh, Bhawana Kanth & Avani Chaturvedi, the sky is no limit. The trio was inducted into IAF fighter squadron after Government of India decided to open fighter stream in IAF for women on an experimental basis. They became the first Indian women pilots to take a solo flight in a MIG- 21 in 2018.

Avani Chaturvedi completed her training in Hyderabad Air Force Academy at 25 years. She is posted to No. 23 Squadron (Panthers), Suratgarh, Rajasthan. She has been promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant in 2018. She has earned an honorary Doctorate in 2018 conferred by Banasthai Vidyapeeth.

Bhawana Kanth was born in Darbhanga Bihar and completed her BE (Medical Electronics) from BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru. She is posted to No 3 Squadron (Cobras), Ambala, Haryana. She always dreamed of becoming a pilot. She completed her fighter pilot training and got commissioned in 2016. She actively motivates junior women cadets to strive for excellence.

Mohana Singh was born in Agra and did her schooling from Air Force School in New Delhi. Her Father- Shri Pratap Singh is Indian Air Force personnel-Warrant Officer. Her grandfather Shri Ladu Ram Jat died fighting the 1948 Indo-Pak war and was awarded Vir Chakra Award posthumously.

Bhageerathi Amma and Karthyayini Amma [105 and 98 years respectively]

Bhageerathi Amma and Karthyayini Amma have passed the Class IV literacy equivalent examinations. Bhageerathi Amma was inspired to take the examinations conducted by State Literacy Mission in Malayalam, Mathematics and Environment in November 2019.

At 105 years, she is the oldest literacy equivalent leaner under Kerala State Literacy Mission. She has to quit education to take care of her siblings. With her memory and eyesight intact, her 67 years old daughter was present to help her during the examinations.

.Karthyayini Amma appeared for writing the fourth standard equivalency course under Kerala Literacy Mission's Akasharalaksham Scheme in August 2018.

She bagged the first rank and scored 98% marks. She aspires to clear tenth standard equivalent examination when she turns 100 and also acquires computer skills. She was also selected as the Commonwealth of Learning Goodwill Ambassador.

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