The Nari Shakti Puraskar () is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is presented by the president of India on International Women's Day (8 March) at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The award was instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar (), renamed and reorganised in 2015. It is awarded in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of 200,000 and 100,000 rupees, respectively.
Categories
The Nari Shakti Puraskar is given in six institutional categories and two categories for individual women.
Institutional categories
Each of the six institutional categories is named after an eminent woman in Indian history.
Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award for best private sector organization or public sector undertaking in promoting the well-being and welfare of women. Named after Ahilyabai Holkar, an 18th-century ruler of the Malwa kingdom. Kannagi Devi Award for best state which has appreciably improved Child Sex Ratio (CSR). Named after Kannagi, the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram. Mata Jijabai Award for best urban local body for providing services and facilities to women. Named after Mata Jijabai, mother of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century. Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award given to a civil society organisation (CSO) doing outstanding work for the welfare and well-being of women. Named after Rani Gaidinliu, a 20th-century Naga spiritual and political leader Rani Lakshmi Bai Award given to the best institution for research and development in the field of women empowerment. Named after Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a queen of Jhansi. Rani Rudramma Devi Awards given to two District Panchayats and two Gram Panchayats for work in the area of women welfare especially related to the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana. Named after Rudrama Devi, a 13th-century ruler of Deccan Plateau.
Individual categories Award for courage and bravery Awards for making outstanding contributions to women’s endeavour, community work, or making a difference, or women's empowerment
History Stree Shakti Puraskar, the predecessor of the Nari Shakti Puraskar, was instituted in the year 1999. It carried a cash prize of 100,000 and a citation. The Stree Shakti Puraskar was given in the same six categories as the Nari Shakti Award. +1999 to 2015 Stree Shakti PuraskarYearKannagi Devi AwardMata Jijabai AwardDevi Ahilyabai Holkar AwardJhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai AwardRani Gaidinliu AwardRani Rudramma Devi Award1999K. V. RabiyaChinna PillaiBrahmacharini Kamala BaiKinkri DeviKumari Lalita Pradkar2001Satya Rani ChadhaMukta P. DagliThamma PawarMah-Naaz WarsiSumani Jhodia2002Mahjabi SarbarSunita YadavShanta TrivediYamuna Sarojini DeviAuda Viegas2003Vandana GopikumarKamala KhoraSunita KrishnanGopa KothariBhagirathi Dutta2004Pinki Virani Shamshad BegumKavita SrivastavaTriveni Balkrishna AcharyaMonmohani Debnath2005Shaik Shamshad BegumSandhya RamanNeeta BahadurRani BangSalmin Lyngdoh2006Kalpana SarkarNighat Shafi PanditD. ShanthiVanguri SuvarthaSeno Tsuhah2007Aruna TaraV. VijayaVaishnavi JayakumarRani DeviBuangi Sailo2008Mahe JabeenHina ShahSunita DeviJhingubai Shrawan Bolake2009Phoolbasan Bai YadavRashmi SinghM. VijayaVed Kumari GhaiSugatha Kumari2010Thagu Maya BardewaMonika S. GargPottabathini PadmavathiRathnamma2011Kanwaljit KaurJagmati MalikHypno Padma KamlakarSandhya PandeyDraupadi GhimirayRakhee Gupta Bhandari2012Guramma H. SankinaSonika AgarwalOlga D’melloOmana T.KPranita Talukdar2013T. Radha K. Prashanti Bina Sheth LashkariSeema SakhareManasi PradhanVartika NandaM. Venkaiah2014P BhanumatiChandraprabha BokeyAnyay Rahit Zindagi (NGO)Seema PrakashSister MariolaAstha Sansthan (NGO)2015State of HaryanaKonoklota Mahila Urban Co-Operative Bank, AssamTechnology, Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC)Guria Swayam Sevi SansthanAngadipuram Gramma Panchayat, Kerala
1999 recipients The first Stree Shakti Puraskar awards were conferred on five women by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 4 January 2001: Kannagi Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to K. V. Rabiya of Malappuram district, Kerala for her efforts to promote the education of children with physical and/or mental disabilities Mata Jijabai Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Chinna Pillai of Madurai, Tamil Nadu for her efforts towards initiating and spreading the microcredit movement and changing the lives of women living in poverty. Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Brahmacharini Kamala Bai of Nagaur district, Rajasthan for establishing schools for girls Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Kinkri Devi of Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh for leading public opposition to illegal mining Rani Gaidinliu Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Kumari Lalita Pradkar of Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh
2001 recipients Five women were awarded the 2001 Stree Shakti Puraskar on 26 March 2003:
Kannagi Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Satya Rani Chadha Mata Jijabai Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Mukta P. Dagli Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Thamma Pawar Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Mah-Naaz Warsi Rani Gaidinliu Stree Shakti Puraskar awarded to Sumani Jhodia
2002 recipients The recipients of the 2002 and 2003 Stree Shakti Puraskar were announced on 19 November 2006.
Kannagi Award to Mahjabi Sarbar Mata Jijabai Award to Sunita Yadav, Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Shanta Trivedi Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Yamuna Sarojini Devi Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Auda Viegas
2003 recipients Kannagi Award to Vandana Gopikumar Mata Jijabai Award to Kamala Khora Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Sunita Krishnan Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Gopa Kothari Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Bhagirathi Dutta
2004 recipients The recipients of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Stree Shakti Puraskar were announced on 8 March 2008.
Kannagi Award to Pinki Virani, Delhi Mata Jijabai Award to Shamshad Begum, khammam Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Kavita Srivastava, Rajasthan Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Triveni Balkrishna Acharya, Maharashtra Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Monmohani Debnath, Tripura
2005 recipients Kannagi Award to Shaik Shamshad Begum, Andhra Pradesh Mata Jijabai Award to Sandhya Raman, Delhi Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Neeta Bahadur, Uttar Pradesh Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Rani Bang, Maharashtra Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Salmin Lyngdoh, Meghalaya
2006 recipients Kannagi Award to Kalpana Sarkar, Madhya Pradesh Mata Jijabai Award to Nighat Shafi Pandit, Jammu and Kashmir Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to D. Shanthi, Tamil Nadu Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Vanguri Suvartha, Andhra Pradesh Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Senu Tsuhah, Nagaland
2007 recipients The recipients of the 2007 Stree Shakti Puraskar were announced on 28 February 2009:
Kannagi Award to Aruna Tara, Andhra Pradesh Mata Jijabai Award to V. Vijaya, Andhra Pradesh Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Vaishnavi Jayakumar, Tamil Nadu Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Rani Devi, Haryana Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Buangi Sailo, Mizoram
2008 recipients The recipients of the 2008 and 2009 Stree Shakti Puraskar were announced on 8 March 2010.
Kannagi Award to Mahe Jabeen, Andhra Pradesh Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Hina Shah, Gujarat Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Sunita Devi, Haryana Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Jhingubai Shrawan Bolake, Maharashtra
2009 recipients Kannagi Award to Phoolbasan Bai Yadav, Chhattisgarh Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Rashmi Singh, Delhi Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmi Bai to M. Vijaya, Karnataka Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Ved Kumari Ghai, Jammu & Kashmir Rani Rudramma Devi Award to Sugatha Kumari, Kerala
2010 recipients The 2010 Stree Shakti Puraskar was awarded to four women:
Kannagi Award to Thagu Maya Bardewa from Sikkim Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Monika S. Garg from Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Pottabathini Padmavathi from Andhra Pradesh Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Rathnamma from Karnataka
2011 recipients The 2011 Stree Shakti Puraskar was awarded to six women:
Kannagi Award to Kanwaljit Kaur from Chandigarh Mata Jijabai Award to Jagmati Malik from Haryana Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Hypno Padma Kamlakar from Andhra Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Sandhya Pandey from Chhattisgarh Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Draupadi Ghimiray from Sikkim Rani Rudramma Devi Award to Rakhee Gupta Bhandari from Delhi
2012 recipients The 2012 Stree Shakti Puraskar was awarded to five women. In addition, the Rani Lakshmi Bai Award was posthumously dedicated to the "Spirit of Nirbhaya".
Kannagi Award to Guramma H. Sankina from Karnataka Mata Jijabai Award to Sonika Agarwal from Delhi Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Olga D’mello of Maharashtra Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Omana T.K from Kerala Rani Rudramma Devi Award to Pranita Talukdar from Assam
2013 recipients The 2013 Stree Shakti Puraskar was awarded to six recipients:
Kannagi Award to T. Radha K. Prashanti from Andhra Pradesh Mata Jijabai Award to Bina Sheth Lashkari from Maharashtra Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Seema Sakhare from Maharashtra Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Manasi Pradhan from Odisha Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Vartika Nanda from Delhi Rani Rudramma Devi Award to M. Venkaiah from Andhra Pradesh
2014 recipients For the year 2014, the Stree Shakti Puraskar was awarded to four individuals and two organizations:
Kannagi Award to P Bhanumati of Kerala Mata Jijabai Award to Chandraprabha Bokey from Maharashtra Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to Anyay Rahit Zindagi (NGO) of Goa Rani Lakshmi Bai Award to Seema Prakash of Madhya Pradesh Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award to Sister Mariola from Rajasthan Rani Rudramma Devi Award to Astha Sansthan (NGO) of Rajasthan
8 women received the Nari Shakti Puraskar, which was conferred for the first time: Rashmi Anand Nanditha Krishna Laxmi Gautam Neha Kirpal Latika Thukral Sailakshmi Balijepally P. Kausalya Swaraj Vidwan
2015 recipients The award was given to 22 recipients: 7 institutions and 15 individuals. The individual recipients are listed below: Lucy Kurien Saurabh Suman Basanti Devi Suparna Baksi Ganguly Meena Sharma Preeti Patkar Uttara Padwar Polumati Vijaya Nirmala Vasu Primlani Sujata Sahu (17000 ft Foundation) Jyoti Mhapsekar Sumita Ghosh Anjali Sharma Krishna Yadav Shakuntala Majumdar The institutional awards for 2015 were divided into categories: Kannagi Award to the State of Haryana Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award to the Konoklota Mahila Urban Co-Operative Bank, Assam Rani Lakshmi Bai Awards to the Technology, Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), Delhi and the Breakthrough Trust, Delhi Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Awards to Jagori, Delhi and Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan, Uttar Pradesh Rani Rudramma Devi Award to the Angadipuram Gramma Panchayat, Kerala
2016 recipients
The award was given to 33 recipients: 6 institutions and 27 individuals. State of Rajasthan Chhanv Foundation, Delhi Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), Mizoram Sadhana Mahila Sangha, Karnataka Shikshit Rojgar Kendra Prabandhak Samiti, Rajasthan Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe, Kerala Amruta Patil, Goa Amala Akkineni, Telangana Anatta Sonney, Karnataka (Joint Award) Anoyara Khatun, West Bengal B. Codanayaguy, Puducherry (Joint Award) Bano Haralu, Nagaland Deepa Mathur, Rajasthan Divya Rawat, Uttarakhand Ilse Köhler Rollefson, Rajasthan Janki Vasant, Gujarat Kalpana Sankar, Tamil Nadu Kalyani Pramod Balakrishnan, Tamil Nadu