The award, in its sixth year, was constituted by the Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh Old Boys’ Association (PECOBA). Amarjit Singh Kohli, general secretary, PECOBA, said the objective behind conferring the awards on women is to acknowledge their achievements.

“The award is a way of carrying forward the legacy of excellence and hard work left behind by Kalpana Chawla. Women deserve to be applauded for their successes and the award is an effort in the same direction,” he said.

Amar Noorie, television actor and singer was honoured for her services in the field of music.

Well-known television artist Bharti Singh was selected from the field of entertainment. She said entertaining people has always been her first love. She had earlier won first prize in rifle shooting at the national level.

Eminent novelist and story writer, Dr Daleep Kaur Tiwana, meanwhile, was awarded for her contribution to Punjabi literature. She had earlier been conferred the Padma Shri in 2004 and also the Saraswati Samman and the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Twenty-three time Arjuna awardee Geetika Jakhar was honoured for her achievements in the sport of wrestling. Currently posted as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana, Jakhar is an eight-time winner of the national wrestling champion, Commonwealth Games Champion and a gold medallist in the Junior Asian Championship.