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 the highest civilian honour for women in India, and is presented by the president of India on International Women's Day 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.
Mehvish Mushtaq Hakak is an Application and Software developer, who created a Business Directory App for Kashmir called "Dial Kashmir", in 2013, for the Kashmir valley, which made her the first Kashmiri female to develop an Android app.
Mumtaz née Maqsood Ahmed Kazi also popularly known as Mumtaz M. Kazi is an Indian train engineer who is also regarded as the first Indian woman to drive a diesel engine train. In fact, she is also Asia's first woman locomotive driver after Surekha Yadav. She was awarded the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar in March 2017 coinciding the International Women's Day from the then Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.
Padala Bhudevi is an Indian social activist with Savara women to help people to improve entrepreneurship and their family diet. In March 2020 she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Arifa Jan is an Indian activist for felt rug making in Srinagar in Kashmir. Jan was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar on 8 March 2020.
Pushpa Preeya also known as either Pushpa NM or Pushpa N. M. is an Indian scribe, IT professional, social activist and volunteer. She is well known for her voluntary service of writing exams for visually impaired people.
Rashmi Anand is an Indian activist and writer concerned about domestic violence. The President of India awarded her the Nari Shakti Puraskar. This is the highest award for women in India. She founded the "Woman of the Elements Trust" which supplies support to victims of domestic abuse in Delhi.
Neha Kirpal is a social entrepreneur who worked extensively at the intersection of creative arts and social sector. She founded of the India Art Fair in 2008. She sold her interest in the Fair after ten years. In 2019, Neha and Dr. Amit Malik coo-founded Amaha, a mental health organization.
P Kausalya, aka Periasamy Kousalya is an Indian HIV activist. She came to notice as the first woman to talk to the media about being one of India's HIV-positive people. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2015 by the Indian government. She was one of four people who started the Positive Women Network to champion the rights of women who were HIV+.
Dr. Saurabh Suman is an Indian Agri researcher who was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar. She leads an NGO that empowers women in Bihar. Suiman has also been involved in organising celebrations of Mahishasur martyrdom day.
Jayamma Bandari is an Indian former sex worker turned social worker. In 2018 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar. In 2011 she founded an organisation which supports sex workers and their children with choices.
Doctor Ela Lodh was an Indian obstetrician and gynaecologist. She received the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar posthumously on 8 March 2022.
Arti Rana is an Indian social entrepreneur. She helps fellow Tharu women to set up groups to make and sell handicrafts. In 2022, she received the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian award for women in India.
Vanita Jagdeo Borade is an Indian conservationist and the founder of the Soyre Vanchare Multipurpose Foundation, which works in wildlife protection. She specializes in rescuing snakes and has been recognized as "India's first woman snake friend". Borade received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from the Indian government in recognition of her conservation efforts.
Neerja Madhav is an Indian author from Uttar Pradesh, writing in Hindi. Madhav received 2021 Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Pooja Sharma is an Indian entrepreneur. She is the first woman in her village to work outside the home. She set up a self-help group that employs 150 women in a bakery, and has received awards in recognition of her achievements, including the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India's highest civilian honour for women.
Nivruti Rai is head of Intel India and vice president of Intel Foundry Services. She has received the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honour for women in India.
Padma Yangchan is an Indian entrepreneur from Ladakh. She trained as a fashion designer. She is the owner of Namza Couture and Namza Dining and known for reviving the indigenous art and craft of Ladakh as well as the food. She has received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her achievements.
Madhulika Ramteke is an Indian social entrepreneur from Chhattisgarh. She founded a microfinance bank run by women and works with survivors of domestic abuse. She has received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her achievements.
Sandhya Dhar is an Indian disability rights activist. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at an early age and is a wheelchair user. She founded the Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation (JIGER) in 2015 to support disabled people and was awarded the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar.
