Stree Shakti Puraskar, Rani Lakshmibai Award, Kannagi Award etc., were awarded on the Intl. Womens Day by Minister for Women and Child Development

On the occasion of International Women’s Day The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Women and Child Development Smt. Krishna Tirath presented the ‘Stree Shakti Puraskar’ 2010, given every year to eminent women for their dedication to the cause of women and the struggles in their own lives to bring about a more gender equitable society.

Rani Lakshmibai Award has been presented to Mrs. Pottabathini Padmavathi from Andhra Pradesh, who did not allow her disability to become and adversity and faced the challenge positively to learn music and become an established artist.

Kannagi Award was bestowed upon Mrs Thagu Maya Bardewa from Sikkim, who has done great work helping people in distress, orphans, widows and destitutes.

Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award went to Mrs. Rathnamma from Karnataka, for her extensive work for awareness generation on child labour and eradication of dowry, early marriage, untouchability and sexual harassment.

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award was awarded to Mrs. Monika S. Garg an officer of the 1989 batch of Indian Administrative service from Uttar Pradesh for her outstanding work for empowerment of women through promoting their participation in Government Programmes.

The Mata Jijabai and Rani Rudrama devi awards were not given to anyone this year.

Speaking on the occasion Smt. Krishna Tirath highlighted the various initiatives undertaken by Government of India for the socio-economic empowerment of women. She noted that schemes like Support to Training Employment Programme (STEP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), were playing a crucial role in providing employment to women. She also said that the two new initiatives of the Ministry of Women and Child Development – the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)- Conditional Maternity Benefit (CMB) and the SABLA scheme for Adolescent girls were launched in 2010..

Praising the Anganwadi workers for their commitment and efforts, she said that the Government had announced a hundred percent increase in their honorarium with effect from 1st April 2011.

Beneficiaries of the STEP and ‘Rashtriya Mahila Kosh’ (RMK) programmes of the WCD Ministry shared their stories of struggle and empowerment. The women, mostly from very poor families, from Manipur, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, told their stories how with training and loan support from the programme they had started their own small income generating activities and were now living a dignified and independent life. Speakers from NGO ‘Stree Shakti’ also shared their experiences.