Pune: National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar pledged Rs 1 from her award fund she won recently to Ramabai Ranvir (47), the mother who won a 3km race in Beed for her daughters’ education, and instructed the Hingoli district collector to ensure all govt schemes reach the woman and her two daughters.Saluting determination, courage, and maternal strength, Rahatkar posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she spoke to the district collector of Hingoli, Rahul Gupta, and instructed him to take necessary action to ensure that Ramabai ji and her two daughters benefit from various govt schemes.The story of the woman running for her daughters’ education appeared in the TOI edition dated Sept 2, 2026. Ramabai came into the spotlight after a video of her running barefoot with slippers in her hand was shared widely on social media.Ramabai hails from Hingoli and worked as a farm labourer. Currently, she works as a cook at a military and paramilitary pre-training academy in Ambajogai, Beed. Her elder daughter is preparing for police recruitment exams, and her younger daughter is pursuing her BSc in computer science.Ramabai said she earned Rs 9,000 per month as a cook but was unable to pay for her younger daughter’s study requirements as it has been rising. She was worried, she said, when she came to know about the run organised to commemorate the 75th anniversary (Amrit Mahotsav) of the Bharatiya Shikshan Prasarak Sanstha. The prize money for the winner was Rs 3,000.Ramabai joined other academy students and competed in the ‘30+ category’ of the run. “All I could think of was to win it no matter what,” Ramabai earlier told TOI.Calling Ramabai an inspiration to everybody, Rahatkar posted on X, “How steadfastly, courageously, and devotedly a mother can struggle for her daughters’ education – Ramabai ji is an extremely inspiring example of this. Her determination and the power of her motherhood have inspired countless people.”A few months ago, the NCW chief received prize money along with the ‘Acharya Tulsi Kartrutva Award’. It will be given to Ramabai ‘not as the price of her struggle or her achievements; rather, as a small expression of gratitude for the inspiration she has given me personally and to many people in society,’ she said in the X post. Rahatkar also shared a video of her speaking to Ramabai on a cellphone.
