The award was instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar (lit.

It is awarded in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of 200,000 and 100,000 rupees, respectively.

[6][7] The first Stree Shakti Puraskar awards were conferred on five women by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 4 January 2001:[27] Five women were awarded the 2001 Stree Shakti Puraskar on 26 March 2003:[12] The recipients of the 2002 Stree Shakti Puraskar were announced on 19 November 2006 together with the 2003 recipients.

In addition, the Rani Lakshmi Bai Award was posthumously dedicated to the "Spirit of Nirbhaya".

[30][31] The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind gave away the Nari Shakti Puraskar to 44 recipients, which includes 3 institutions.

The awardees (in alphabetical order) are:[25] The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind gave away the Nari Shakti Puraskar to fifteen women achievers.