Government to recognize 100 most influential women with Facebook
In July 2015, the Government of India tried something new. The Ministry of Women and Child Development joined hands with Facebook to find 100 women who had made a real difference to their communities. It was called the #100Women initiative. Ordinary people could nominate a woman they knew, and later vote for the finalists online.
This article explains how the campaign worked, who could take part, the dates, and how it ended in January 2016. It is written as a look back at a past event. The dates here are checked against news reports from the time.
Table of Contents
What Was the #100Women Initiative?
The ministry announced the programme on 14 July 2015, and it began on 15 July. The idea was to recognise 100 “women achievers” from all over India. Reports described it as the first time the ministry had run such a contest with a social media site.
Union Minister Maneka Sanjay Gandhi led the effort. She said that everyone has known a woman who changed their life, or who left a mark on the whole community. She added that people rarely thank such women enough. The contest was meant to fix that.
An official explained the choice of Facebook. The official said social media plays a big role in such contests today, because of its wide reach.
Key Dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 14 July 2015 | Ministry announces the initiative |
| 15 July 2015 | Nominations open on the ministry’s Facebook page |
| 30 September 2015 | Last day for nominations |
| 3 to 20 December 2015 | Public voting on the shortlisted names |
| 22 January 2016 | President hosts the winners at Rashtrapati Bhavan |
Some early write-ups say nominations began in June. That is wrong. They ran from 15 July to 30 September 2015. The launch plan had also said that voting on the top 200 entries would start on 7 November. In practice, the ministry said public voting ran from 3 to 20 December 2015.
How the Nomination Worked
The process was simple, and it was built for ordinary people.
- Visit the ministry’s Facebook page during the nomination window.
- Fill in the nomination form.
- Pick one of the 20 categories.
- Add a photo or a video that shows the woman at work in her community.
- Explain in a few words why she should be honoured.
Anyone could nominate, from anywhere in the world. But the nominee had to be an Indian woman above 18 years of age, counted as on 31 December 2015. Her work had to be done in India.
The minister also asked people to share short videos about why their chosen woman deserved a place in the list.
The 20 Categories
The contest was not limited to famous fields. It covered work that often gets little attention. The reported categories include:
- Access to justice and protecting women’s rights
- Agriculture and animal husbandry
- Animal welfare
- Arts and culture
- Commerce, industry and entrepreneurship
- Community mobilisation
- Disability and disadvantage
- Education
- Environment, forests and wildlife
- Globalising India
News reports said there were 20 categories in all, and named these among them. A full official list of all 20 was not found for this article.
Who Was Asked to Help
Maneka Gandhi wrote to several well-known people and asked them to back the campaign. According to a ministry official quoted by IANS, they were the actors Amitabh Bachchan, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone and Madhuri Dixit, and the cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli. She asked each to nominate someone they knew, and to post a personal message on their own accounts to encourage people.
Ankhi Das, Facebook’s Director of Public Policy for South and Central Asia, welcomed the move. She said millions of people come to Facebook every day to talk about what matters to them. She called it a great chance to celebrate women who make a difference.
From Nominations to Winners
The selection had three steps.
Step 1: Nominations
The ministry received 474 nominations in total across the 20 categories, according to the DNA report from January 2016.
Step 2: The jury
A panel of jury members read the entries and shortlisted 200 women. The ministry said it picked the top 200 across all 20 categories.
Step 3: Public voting
The 200 names were then put online, and people voted through Facebook from 3 to 20 December 2015. A ministry official described it as a three-layered online vote. From the votes, 100 women were chosen as the winners.
The Winners and the Event
On 22 January 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee hosted a lunch for the 100 women at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The date was not random. It was the first anniversary of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched on 22 January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana.
Reports named a few winners. Rashida Bi of Madhya Pradesh was chosen in the Environment, Forests and Wildlife category, for working for victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy for about 30 years. Dr Harshinder Kaur of Patiala, a paediatrician, was recognised for her work against discrimination against the girl child. Lalita Nijhawan of Delhi was named for her work in education for women and children. Sri Vyshnavi Yarlagadda, then 20, an international memory athlete, was also named in reports.
You can read more about the scheme that shared the date in our explainer on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and its benefits.
The Ministry’s Social Media Push
The contest was part of a wider effort. In September 2015, Governance Now reported that the minister would take questions live on Facebook on 14 September, to talk about the #100Women contest and other issues. Later, on 1 June 2016, she held another live Facebook chat. A Press Information Bureau release said it reached nearly 1 lakh people and drew more than 1,600 questions.
The same release said the ministry’s Facebook page passed 2 lakh likes on 1 June 2016. It had added its second lakh in less than five months. The ministry also used Twitter and YouTube to explain schemes to people.
This shows why the #100Women contest was not a one-off. The ministry wanted a direct line to citizens, and Facebook gave it one.
Why the Campaign Mattered
Awards for women usually go to people who are already well known. This one asked the public to look nearby. A teacher in a small town, a social worker or a farmer could win. That was the point.
It also showed how government and private platforms could work together on a public cause. A Facebook contest, of course, mostly reaches people who are online. That is a fair limit to keep in mind. The idea of asking citizens to name their own heroes was still a good one.
What Makes a Good Public Award
Public contests like this one work best when the rules are clear. People should know who can enter, how the shortlist is made and when the vote happens. The #100Women initiative did publish these steps, and it used a jury before the public vote. That mix gave a check on pure popularity.
A jury alone can miss local heroes. A public vote alone can favour whoever has the most online friends. Using both is a sensible way to balance the two.
Women Making a Difference Today
The contest ended long ago, but the idea is still useful. You do not need a national award to say thank you to someone. You can write to a local newspaper, post about her work, or simply tell her.
Our site has stories on similar themes. Read about the untold stories of women entrepreneurs transforming India. For a wider look at how women use the web, see the piece on women on social media. And for safety tips, see our post on International Women’s Safety Day.
Quick Facts
- Organisers: Ministry of Women and Child Development and Facebook.
- Minister: Maneka Sanjay Gandhi.
- Nomination window: 15 July to 30 September 2015.
- Nominations received: 474 across 20 categories, per a news report.
- Shortlist: 200 women.
- Public voting: 3 to 20 December 2015.
- Winners: 100 women, hosted by the President on 22 January 2016.
FAQs About the #100Women Initiative
What was the #100Women initiative?
It was a contest by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Facebook. Its aim was to find and honour 100 women who had made a difference in their communities.
When did nominations open and close?
They opened on 15 July 2015 and closed on 30 September 2015.
Who could be nominated?
Indian women above 18 years of age, as on 31 December 2015, for work done in India. Anyone from anywhere could send the nomination.
How were the 100 women chosen?
A jury shortlisted 200 women from the nominations. Then the public voted on Facebook from 3 to 20 December 2015, and 100 were selected.
Who honoured the winners?
President Pranab Mukherjee hosted them at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22 January 2016.
Final Thoughts
The #100Women initiative was a simple idea. Let the public choose the women who matter to them. It put lesser-known names in front of the country. If someone in your life has made your community better, say so today. Recognition costs nothing.