Stree Shakti award for Nirbhaya on Women's Day

New Delhi, Mar 7: The December 16 Delhi gangrape victim will be posthumously bestowed with 'Stree Shakti' award as a tribute to her courage and strength on Friday, on the occasion of the International Women's Day. Sources said the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry felt the 'Spirit of Nirbhaya' should be honoured with the 'Stree Shakti' awards awarded every year to outstanding women of the country. The family of Nirbhaya will receive the award from President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday.

"There was a view that the victim had demonstrated remarkable strength and fight in the face of the ordeal faced by her and the incident has also generated enormous awareness and sensitised a large section of the society on the need to provide protection to women," a source said.

As a measure of recognition of achievements in individual women in the field of social development, the government had instituted of 6 national awards which are called 'Stree Shakti Puraskar'. The awards are in the name of the eminent women personalities namely Devi Ahalya Bai Holkar, Kannagi, Mata Jajabai, Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang, Rani Lakshmi Bai and Rani Rudramma Devi (which is open to both men and women).

The spirit of 'Nirbhaya', a name by which many remember the Delhi gangrape victim, would be given Rani Laxmi Bai award which has been instituted to recognise the spirit of courage and the personal achievement of a woman in difficult circumstances, who has established this spirit of courage in her individual or professional life, guidelines for the awards say. Each of the six 'Stree Shakti Awards' carries a cash award of Rs 3 lakh.

PTI