Smt.Rekha Sharma

Chairperson 7 Aug 2018 Ms. Rekha Sharma assumed the charge of Chairperson, National Commission for Women on August 7, 2018. If one takes a closer look at her style of working, the two distinct virtues that define her are leadership spirit and relentless will to keep doing good for women in need. If NCW is known for working round the clock for addressing women’s issues, it is because of her pioneering efforts to be ever ready and reachable for women across the country. She has been associated with the Commission as a member since August, 2015 and held the additional charge as Chairperson, NCW with effect from September 29, 2017 before becoming its Chairperson on August 7, 2018.

She has been a vocal advocate of gender sensitization of police personnel since they are the first point of contact for victims. In continuation with the extraordinary work that the Commission did during the first phase of the pandemic, NCW was quick to rise to the occasion when pregnant women were struggling for medical aid in the second phase of COVID. The Commission launched a WhatsApp helpline number, another brain child of Madam Chairperson to assist pregnant women with medical emergencies. Madam Chairperson has been an ardent supporter of economic empowerment of women and in continuance with the Commission’s efforts to make women independent and self –reliant, Cyber Peace Foundation and Facebook with an aim to provide digital literacy training to 1.50 lakh women for effectively using online resources and grievance redressal mechanisms to women across states including, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Bihar. Madam has chaired a large number of Mahila Jan Sunwais/ Public Hearings in several states across the country and has addressed the issues related to female prisoners including improving the conditions of the undertrials. Ms Sharma has played a pivotal role in the inspection of Swadhar Grehs, functioning under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. After she took over as Chairperson, the Commission is working in close coordination with its State Commissions organizing programs for increasing their efficiency in dealing with cases of crime against women. She has frequently conducted inspection of psychiatric homes across the country. She has constantly advocated for economic empowerment of women and has been organizing seminar around women-led entrepreneurship in collaboration with different universities with an aim to break gender stereotypes in the society.

• Rekha Sharma provides leadership to the National Commission for Women, overseeing its activities and initiatives.
• She advocates for women's rights and addresses issues related to gender discrimination, violence against women, and other concerns affecting women in India.
• As Chairperson, she may play a role in formulating and recommending policies to address women's issues and promote gender equality.
• The NCW, under her leadership, may intervene in cases related to women's rights violations and provide legal support or recommendations.
• Rekha Sharma might lead or support awareness campaigns to educate the public on women's rights and gender-related issues.
• The NCW, led by Rekha Sharma, could be involved in the resolution of complaints related to women's rights violations by offering a platform for redressal.

Smt. Sumitra Mahajan-2019

The award for 2019 will be awarded to Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, past speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha. From all over the country, thousands of our members and other distinguished guests will gather at Bangalore for our 44th national annual meeting and festival called “Unnayan” which will span three days from the 16th to 18th of September. During the proceedings, on the 16th of September, the award ceremony for Acharya Tulsi Kartitva Puraskar, 2019 will be held in the presence of His Holiness Acharya Mahashraman at the Acharya Tulsi Mahapragya Chetna Seva Kendra at Kumbalgodu, Bangalore at 10:00 am.

This year’s awardee, Dr. Sumitra Mahajan, has been elected to the Lok Sabha eight times, one of only three members to do so. She also is the longest serving woman member. In the 2014 general elections, she amassed 4,66,901 votes and won a seat by the highest margin of votes in Madhya Pradesh.

As part of the BJP, she has also held positions like Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare President, Mahila Morcha, Madhya Pradesh, served as the General Secretary of the BJP and held Union Minister positions in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Communication & Information Technology and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Additionally, she has served as Chairperson, Standing Committee on Rural Development and as a Member of the Committee on Empowerment of Women. Other than the positions she held in various organizing capacities associated with the BJP, Smt. Mahajan has also worked with various women’s organizations and groups in Indore like Ahilyotsav Samiti and Jagtik Marathi Parishad due to her interest in heritage and culture.