TOI, NBT to honour women achievers today

Lucknow: To celebrate International Women's Day, Lucknow will host the prestigious ‘Times Women of Eminence 2026' awards to recognise the courage, perseverance and achievements of exceptional women on Sunday.Governor Anandiben Patel will felicitate women who made remarkable contributions across diverse fields. Organised jointly by The Times of India and NBT, the event aims to highlight women's accomplishments and their empowering role in society.The programme will commence with the national anthem, followed by a ceremonial welcome of the Governor.The awardees of the ‘Times Women of Eminence 2026' include KGMU vice-chancellor Prof Soniya Nityanand, Arjuna awardee Rachna Govil, architect Vipul B Varshney and educator Pooja Agarwal (all from Lucknow). From Varanasi, arts and culture achiever Poonam Rai, ‘Green Brigade' comprising Nirmala, Leelawati, Asha and Shashi Lata for women empowerment, educator Bharti Madhok, social worker Anjali Agarwal and doctor Smita Tandon will be recognised. In Kanpur, writer Anjali Tiwari and entrepreneur Manika Gupta will be honoured. Sports achievers include Anshika Yadav from Gorakhpur, Zainab Khatun from Meerut/Ghaziabad, Geeta Sharma from Bareilly and Kavita Yadav and Khushboo Nishad from Prayagraj.In social service, Jal Saheli Geeta Devi from Jhansi, Tulika Kapoor from Agra, and doctor Poonam Singh from Aligarh were recognised.