Vanita Ratnam awards are the awards, instituted and given every year by the Women and child development department (formerly Social Welfare Department) of Government of Kerala to honor the women who excel in various fields of social service, education, literature, governance, science, arts and culture, health, media, sports, acting and women empowerment. The award which carries a cash prize of 300 thousand rupees each, was instituted in December 2013 and started to give away from 2014.[1][2]
| Name of award | Name of recipient | Field of Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Sheeba Ameer | Akkamma Cherian award | Social service |
| M Padmini Teacher | Captain Lakshmi award | Education |
| K. R. Meera | Kamala Surayya award | Literature |
| Sherly Vasu | Justice Fathima Beevi award | Science |
| Kshemavathi K S | Mrinalini Sarabhai award | Arts and culture |
| Sainu Philip | Mary Punnen Lukose award | Health |
| Leela Menon | Annie Thayyil award | Media |
The awards for the year 2017 was announced on 3 March 2018 for 11 personalities, each of them to be receive a cash prize of ₹ 300 thousand and a citation.[4]
| Name of recipient | Name of award | Field of Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Esthappan | Akkamma Cherian award | Social service |
| Lalitha Sadasivan | Captain Lakshmi award | Education |
| K. P. Sudheera | Kamala Surayya award | Literature |
| Jagadamma | Rani Lakshmi Bai award | Governance |
| Mini M. | Justice Fathima Beevi award | Science |
| Malathi G Menon | Mrinalini Sarabhai award | Arts and culture |
| Sharmila | Mary Punnen Lukose award | Health |
| Krishnakumari A. | Annie Thayyil award | Media |
| Betty Joseph (Indian sports person) | Kuttimaluamma award | Sports |
| Rejitha Madhu | Sukumari award | Acting |
| Radhamani T. | Annie Mascarene award | Women empowerment |
The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan presented the awards for 2017 on 8 March 2018, at a function organized at V.J.T. Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of the International Women's Day celebrations. The function was presided by the minister for Health and social welfare minister, K. K. Shailaja. The occasion was the first International Women’s Day after the state government formed a separate department for women and child development.[4]
The awards for the year 2017 was announced on 4 March 2020 by K.K. Shylaja, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Kerala. The award will be given to 5 personalities, each of them to be receive a cash prize of ₹100,000 and a citation.[5][6]
| Name of recipient | Field of Excel | Details of selection |
|---|---|---|
| C. D. Saraswathy | Social service | .. |
| P. U. Chithra | Sports | .. |
| P. P. Rahnas | Survival | .. |
| Parvathy P. G. Warrier | Empowerment of Women and Children | .. |
| Vanaja Dr. | Education, Science and technology | .. |
