WATCH: PM Modi burst out laughing after this Nari Shakti awardee narrates a story about him

New Delhi, Mar 8: On the eve of women’s day, PM Narendra Modi interacted with winners of the 2020 and 2021 editions of Nari Shakti Puraskar, awarded together due to delays caused by the pandemic.

 

PM Modi met the awardees at his official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. One awardee among them was Captain Radhika Menon. She is the first woman to receive an award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from International Maritime Organization (IMO).

 

 

She narrated a story that had PM Modi burst out laughing. Menon said that she travelled around the world for her work, and when she would dock in countries such as Pakistan or China, which “don’t share friendly relations” with India, the people of those countries would nevertheless tell her: “Your country has a very strong leader.”

 

 

‘Nari Shakti Puraskar’ is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions, to celebrate women as game changers and catalysts of positive change in society.

 

In all, 28 awards (14 each for the years 2020 and 2021) will be presented to 29 individuals in recognition of their exceptional work in rendering distinguished services towards the empowerment of women, especially vulnerable and marginalized women.

 

The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2020 are from fields as diverse as entrepreneurship, agriculture, innovation, social work, arts and crafts, STEMM, wildlife conservation, etc. The winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2021 are from the fields of linguistics, entrepreneurship, agriculture, social work, arts and crafts, Merchant Navy, STEMM, education and literature, disability rights, etc.