NITI Aayog announces winners of the Women Transforming India Awards 2017
New Delhi: Celebrating the outstanding achievements of women in India, NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, announces winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017. Crowdsourcing thousands of stories of women undertaking phenomenal work to transform societies across India’s cities, towns and villages, the second edition of the Awards, celebrates the critical role of women in empowering themselves and their communities.
“NITI Aayog strongly believes in the power of women to contribute towards the development of the country, and we have instituted these awards precisely to recognize these contributions and encourage many more women to step forward,” says Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
Today’s awards ceremony recognizes the exceptional work of 12 women in critical areas such as preventing violence against women; bridging the gender gap in education; providing healthcare; building livelihoods and enterprises for women; and promoting inclusion for persons with disabilities.
“This is a very ambitious project to honour unsung women in our society and there is a real need for such initiatives. Such efforts by the Government will go a long way in motivating women working to transform their societies, and in turn the country,” says Indian Olympian and Jury member, P.T Usha.
“Women Transforming India received a record number of entries this year, demonstrating that all over the country, women are championing change. These inspiring stories speak to the tremendous potential of women to build an inclusive future for all and accelerate India’s growth and success story at the same time,” says Yuri Afanasiev, Jury Member and United Nations Resident Coordinator.
The awardees were selected after a rigorous process by an eminent jury comprising P.T. Usha, track and field Olympian; Pooja Thakur, Wing Commander, Indian Air Force; Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador, Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog and Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator.