NITI Aayog Organizes Fifth Edition of Women Transforming India Awards
NITI Aayog organized the fifth edition of the Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards on 21 March 2022.
This year, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, the WTI Awards were conferred on 75 women achievers to celebrate their contribution towards a ‘Sashakt Aur Samarth Bharat’. (See Appendix for the full list of winners.)
Today’s award ceremony recognized women entrepreneurs who have made their mark across different sectors. The selection process spanned several months, and the 75 awardees were chosen on the basis of nominations received on WEP and through shortlisting by a search-and-select committee.
In his keynote address, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said, ‘The WTI Awards celebrates the dynamic efforts of women by sharing their exemplary stories and exceptional work. From shattering social boundaries to paving the way for an equal India, these winners lead by example.’
The Awards were conferred by acclaimed personalities such as Kiran Bedi, former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry; Lakshmi Puri, former Assistant Secretary-General of UN; Dr Tessy Thomas, Director-General of Aeronautical Systems, DRDO; Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairperson of State Bank of India; Debjani Ghosh, President of NASSCOM; and Ila Arun, acclaimed singer.
Sports champions Shiny Wilson, Track and Field Athlete; Karnam Malleswari, first Indian woman to win a medal in weightlifting in the 2000 Olympics; Lovlina Borgohain, Tokyo Olympic medallist in boxing; Mansi Joshi, World No. 1 para-badminton singles’ player in SL3; Pranati Naik, Tokyo 2020 Olympian gymnast and 2019 Asian Championship medallist; and Simranjit Kaur, Tokyo 2020 Olympian and 2018 AIBA World Championship medallist; and women defence officers also attended the event.
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and Senior Adviser Anna Roy; Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India; and Padma Shree awardee and acclaimed singer Kailash Kher were present at the event as well.
The event also saw scintillating performances by Kailash Kher and dancers Aishwarya and Shinjini Kulkarni, eventually culminating in the release of a coffee table book on the WTI 2021 award-winners.