President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of the International Women's Day on Sunday presented 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' here to 15 women achievers from various fields. The winners for the year 2019 are from fields as diverse as agriculture, sports, handicrafts, afforestation and wildlife conservation, armed forces and education.
Bina Devi, fondly known as 'Mushroom Mahila' for popularizing mushroom cultivation, was one of the awardees. Devi, 43, is a mushroom grower and was 'sarpanch' of Dhauri Panchayat, Tetiabamber block for five years. She has trained farmers on mushroom farming, organic farming, vermin-compost production, organic insecticide preparation at home. Another awardee was 103-year-old Mann Kaur. Known as 'Miracle from Chandigarh', Kaur started her athletic career at the age of 93.
The award was also conferred on Kalavati Devi, a 58-year-old lady mason, who acted as a driving force towards reducing open defecation in the district of Kanpur.
She is responsible for building over 4,000 toilets in villages in and around Kanpur and has gone door to door to create awareness about the ills of open defecation.
Padala Bhudevi, 40, has been working for the development of tribal women, widows, Podu lands through a community based organization- CAVS (Chinnai Adhivasi Vikas Society), established by her father, in 1996.
Arifa Jan, 33, was awarded for reviving the lost art of Numdha handicrafts and has trained more than 100 women in Kashmir. Chami Murmu, 47, has been awarded for her work as a passionate
environmentalist. Fondly known as the 'Lady Tarzan' of Jharkhand, Murmu has been involved in planting of more than 25 lakh trees with the Forest Department and mobilizing more than 3,000 women.
Nilza Wangmo, 40 is an entrepreneur, running Alchi Kitchen Restaurant, the first one to serve traditional Ladakhi cuisines including some exquisite and forgotten recipes.
Another awardee is Rashmi Urdhwardeshe, 60, who is automotive and R&D professional since 36 years. Tashi and Nungshi Malik, 28, from Uttrakhand were the first female twins to scale Mt Everest in 2013.
Kaushiki Chakroborty, 38, is an Indian classical vocalist with more than 15 years of experience, and she is Khayal and Thumri exponent. Avani Chaturvedi, 26, Bhawanna Kanth, 27 and Mohana Singh Jitarwal
28, were the Indian Air Force's first women fighter pilots. The trio was induced into IAF fighter squadron after the government decided to open the stream for women on experimental basis. They became the first Indian women pilots to take a solo flight in a MIG- 21 in 2018.
Bhageerathi Amma, 105, and Karthyayini Amma, 98, have passed the Class IV literacy equivalent examinations. At 105 years, Bhageerathi Amma is the oldest literacy equivalent learner under Kerala State Literacy Mission. She had to quit education to take care of her siblings when she was younger.
The function was attended by Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani and Debasree Chaudhuri. The government confers the Nari Shakti Puraskar every year to recognise the relentless service of women towards the cause of women empowerment and social welfare.