5 inspirational women from Uttar Pradesh win NITI Aayog’s Fifth Edition of Women Transforming India Awards

Women have consistently been playing a key role in transforming India into a ‘Sashakt Aur Samarth Bharat'. In recognition of the remarkable achievements of these women across diverse sectors NITI Aayog has instituted Women Transforming India Awards. 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. Of these 75 Awardees 5 women from the state of Uttar Pradesh were honoured. ***Click here to know more about the other awardees. *

Gauri Gopal Agrawal, Muzzafarnagar, Skilled Samaritan Foundation (Sirohi)* Sirohi is India's first sustainable, unique, home and furniture brand. Gauri, Founder and Director of Skilled Samaritan Foundation (Sirohi), started the enterprise, with an aim to engage and empower women from the marginalised communities with no formal education. This initaitive creatively integrates technology with design, trains women to make well-designed functional home & lifestyle products, and secures them with financial independence. Gauri, a young entrepreneur, proudly states that Sirohi, has till now impacted more than 15,000 women and families in Northern India. It is on a mission to become a trailblazer in its efforts to economically empower women of rural India. Sirohi aspires to be a global brand for sustainable home and lifestyle products, promising uniqueness to each product which weaves a beautiful story. *

Nimisha Varma, Lucknow, Aloe Ecell Pvt. Ltd.* Nimisha Verma wears many hats. To solve the problems of e-waste, pollution and diseases caused by hazardous batteries, Aloe Ecell created the world's first 100% eco-friendly and safe 1.5V AA size batteries using Aloe vera. The product has been recognized by the Indian government and corporates like Schneider Electric. In pursuit of Atmanirbhar and Sashakt farmers, Nimisha's team has innovated India's first 100% eco-friendly recycled fertilizer from dead batteries. Aloe Ecell has also launched Batteries on Blockchain- a battery tracing mechanism to collect e-waste and promote Swachh Bharat. In the recent pandemic, they launched a very economical face-shield and a peer-to-peer educational model (Naya Savera) to help rural India. Aloe Ecell, World's First 100% Eco-Friendly Non Hazardous Battery should be the solution for all Battery problems. *

Prachi Kaushik, Mathura, Vyomini Social Enterprise* Prachi, a young social activist, founded Vyomini in 2017 to solve social, economic, and environmental challenges. Vyomini aspires to build a robust ecosystem that enables women-led entrepreneurship and leadership in emerging high impact sectors like clean energy, agriculture and nutrition, health and sanitation. They are a group of outstanding young women with exceptional leadership skills, promoting sustainable sanitation hygiene products & entrepreneurship among underprivileged communities. Vyomini believes that excluded and resource-poor communities can be revitalized through economic growth and social progress if the untapped potential of grassroots women entrepreneurs is realized. *

Samina Bano, Lucknow, RightWalk Foundation* RightWalk drives equity, inclusion & social justice by co-shaping public policies, unlocking public funds and making public entitlements accessible to disadvantaged people. It was founded by Samino Bano, and since its inception, she has prioritized Social Inclusion. This has remained the hallmark of RightWalk's practice. The team has the knowledge and experience to bring key issues to decision makers, committees, state agencies, and communities. It is known for bringing a mind-set shift from exclusion to inclusion in politics, bureaucracy, media, public and schools. RightWalk Foundation is driving equality, inclusion and social justice by co-shaping public policies, unlocking public funds and making public rights accessible to people on the ground. *

Swati Pandey, Lucknow, Arboreal Bioinnovations Pvt. Ltd.* Under the leadership of Swati Pandey, Arboreal Bioinnovations are proud to be recognized for their ground breaking efforts in transitioning India to the Post Sugar World. Their team is driven by the vision of creating a Type-2 diabetes-free world in their lifetime. Arboreal combines advanced scientific R&D with traceable, scalable and sustainable supply chain of Stevia to deliver great-tasting applications that are loved and desired by calorie-conscious Consumers. Their core team comprises of professionals with over 200 years of collective experience in Phytoceuticals and Natural Extracts. Arboreal combines advanced scientific R&D with traceable, scalable and sustainable supply.