Hasina Kharbhih from Impulse NGO Network, Shillong was among the 75 women honoured with the Women Transforming India Award by the NITI Aayog.
This year, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, the Women Transforming India Awards were conferred on the 75 women achievers in recognition of their remarkable achievements across diverse sectors.
For 32 years now, Kharbhih, has been working to provide sustainable livelihood in a safe environment for 30,000 women in the North Eastern states of India.
What started out as a mission in her home state of Meghalaya, has today evolved into a global program that aims to put an end to human trafficking and exploitation worldwide.
Her work stands on two pillars: the first is Impulse NGO Network which was conceptualised in 1987 and is a significant force against human trafficking today.
The second pillar is Impulse Social Enterprises which aims to promote local artisans and create sustainable livelihood and covering more than 7000 artisans in eight North East states.
Team Impulse believes human trafficking can’t be completely stopped until women at the grassroots becomes economically self-sufficient.
The award ceremony held yesterday recognised 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 short listing 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.
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 Women Transforming India Awards is NITI Aayog’s annual initiative to highlight the commendable and ground-breaking endeavours of India’s women leaders and change-makers.
The WTI Awards have continuously recognized role models who have broken glass ceilings and created a positive impact. Since 2018, the Awards have been hosted under the aegis of NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), with a special focus on entrepreneurship.
Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is an aggregator portal that aims to catalyse the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women and address information asymmetry.
To build a vibrant ecosystem for women-led enterprises, the platform works to strengthen industry linkages and increase awareness of existing programmes and services.
To date, more than 900 women entrepreneurs have been benefitted through 77 programmes and events hosted on the platform
