Woman conservationist from Odisha receives ‘Nari Shakti Award’

Bhubaneswar: Women from Odisha have been breaking the glass ceiling and carving a niche for themselves in fields of their interest. Sabarmatee Tiki, a scholar and conservationist, is a crusader in her own right.

The founder of Sambhav, an NGO that runs organic and training farms near Bhubaneswar, she was conferred with ‘Nari Shakti Award’ yesterday. She received the award from the President of India, Ramnath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, on International Women’ Day.

Besides her, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, felicitated 38 other women and institutions to celebrate and acknowledge their efforts towards the cause of women empowerment. On that occasion, the awardees, including Sabarmatee, spoke about their fight for a cause.

In her speech, she said women play a vital role in shaping and structuring the nation. “Women are strong, bold and patient at the same time,” she added.

She also spoke about the activities being taken up by her NGO. “We restored 90 acres of wasteland and converted it into a forest. We have organic farms, where a method called System of Rice Intensification is adapted to make it easier for women working in farmlands,” she said. Her NGO has been successful in conserving and producing 452 indigenous varieties of rice.

President Ramnath Kovind, in his speech, spoke about discrimination faced by women. “We must change every traditional belief that obstructs a woman from achieving her dreams,” he said.

Initiated in 2015, ‘Nari Shakti Award’ is India’s highest civilian honour for women. Women and institutions are selected for their contribution in the fields of science, sport, art, social work, conservation, agriculture, education, security, handicrafts, defence.

The awardees received a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000.