Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, an awards programme aimed at empowering the remarkable women of Sri Lanka, proudly returns for its fourth consecutive instance this year, jointly organised by NDB Bank and Sirasa News 1st.

The awards programme has gained a reputation as a prestigious platform that spotlights the incredible contributions of women from diverse fields, including business, education, sports, healthcare, and the arts. These awards play a pivotal role in acknowledging the unsung heroes who have made significant strides in their respective domains, said a press statement released parallel to the official launch of the programme recently with a media conference held at Galadari Colombo.

It said that this platform not only empowers women but has also actively contributed towards breaking down socio-economic entry barriers. As of 2022, nearly 5,000 applications have been collected for the programme, and over 200 provincial winners have been crowned while simultaneously providing a wide range of financial and non-financial support services.

NDB CEO Dimantha Senevirathne said: “We are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth consecutive edition of Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, the flagship collaboration of NDB Bank and News First MTV. Dedicated to discovering and recognising excellence demonstrated by females across multiple sectors, this endeavour also serves the nationally significant purpose of stimulating female participation in economic activities”.

The Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana programme is conducted under NDB’s Araliya Banking on Women proposition, which operates with the aim of ‘giving you more than what you want’ which offers a wide array of banking facilities tailored to empower and uplift NDB’s female entrepreneurs.

NDB Assistant Vice President, Marketing Darshana Jayasinghe said: “NDB’s unwavering dedication to supporting female entrepreneurs is exemplified through its ‘Banking on Women’ holistic proposition, which empowers women to shatter the glass ceiling and achieve remarkable success.”