Koya is a South-Central Dravidian language of the Gondi–Kui group spoken in central and southern India. It is the native language of the Koya people. It is sometimes described as a dialect of Gondi,but it is mutually unintelligible with Gondi dialects.
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.
Gargi Gupta is the founder and secretary of Voice Of World (NGO),a multi-unit non-profit organization for visually impaired,disabled,and orphaned children in Eastern India,headquartered in Kolkata,India.
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.
B. Codanayaguy is an Electronics &Instrumentation Engineer at the ISRO. She is responsible for the instrumentation of control systems for the solid rocket motors used in rocket launches. She was given the highest award for women in India,the Nari Shakti Puraskar,at the Presidential Palace in 2017.
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.
Lizymol Philipose Pamadykandathil is an Indian dental materials scientist. Her work has been recognised with a Nari Shakti Puraskar - the highest civilian honour exclusively for women in India.
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,Kirpal and Dr. Amit Malik co-founded Amaha,a mental health organization.
Uttara Padwar is an Indian charity worker from Madhya Pradesh who was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2013.
Kagganapalli Radha Devi is an Indian activist who successfully protested against a Hindu temple that would only employ male barbers. The Venkateswara Temple,Tirumala,which gathers over a ton of hair every day,agreed to also employ female barbers to carry out the ritual tonsuring. Devi received the Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition of her work.
Urmila Balavant Apte is the Indian Founder of the BhartiyaStree Shakti organisation in 1988 which is dedicated to the empowerment of women. She received the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018 for her work.
K. Syamalakumari aka Syamala Kumari is an Indian temple painter. This was an occupation traditionally carried out by men. Her work includes painting at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala. She has been awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Dr. M.S. Sunil is an Indian Academician,Humanist and Philanthropist known for housing the homeless. She founded Dr. M.S. Sunil Foundation in December,2016 in Pathanamthitta,with five trust members and six volunteers. Her works focuses to uplift the living conditions of impoverished families/ communities,her philanthropist and non- profit programmes aim to provide safe houses and healthy food to build a compassionate environment with enlightened mind on renewable energy and conservation of natural habitat by including every communities including Tribal and socially underprivileged with less or no inequality. She was acknowledged by the Government of India and was the recipient of many honours,including the Nari Shakti Puraskar- 2017 which is considered as the Government of India's highest civilian honour for women.
Anita Gupta is an Indian social entrepreneur,organic farmer and tribal activist. She has arranged training for more than 50,000 rural women.
Niranjanaben Mukulbhai Kalarthi is an Indian author and educator. She was awarded the 2021 Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2022.
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.
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.
