Today as the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of International Women’s Day, I want to reflect on how India is embarking on an inspiring journey from the era of women development to a new dawn of women-led development. This transformation marks a crucial distinction: development that includes women is an essential step that provides women with access to opportunities, services, and spaces, ensuring equality. However, women-led development goes beyond inclusion—it empowers women to take the reins of leadership, drive innovation, and shape policies from the forefront.
There has been a paradigm shift in the notion of the women empowerment, one that will go down in history as India being a nation that emphatically declared women at the center of development, shifting power dynamics so they can drive change themselves. For all levels of government now, women are not just passive beneficiaries of policies and programs but are the active change makers. India envisions a future where women are at the heart of decision-making, leadership, and execution of policies, businesses, and community initiatives, not only giving strength to the empowerment of our nation but contributing to what our PM advocates for “when women prosper, the world prospers”. The progress of women gives strength to the empowerment of our nation.
India has always cherished and upheld its rich traditions of female leadership, deeply ingrained in its cultural and historical tapestry. In the ancient Vedic period, Gargi and Maitreyi were philosophers who contributed to the Vedas, participated as equals in debates with other philosophers, and served as symbols to how educational opportunities were available to women even in those times. Women like Rani Lakshmibai and Kittur Rani Chennamma symbolized India’s regional diversity in its freedom movement.
Today, our Honorable President, Shrimati Droupadi Murmu holds the distinction of being the first person belonging to a tribal community and the second woman to hold the office. Our Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions were successful largely because of India’s stellar female scientists. They led these positions because 43% of India’s graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses are women. The worldwide share of female STEM graduates is around 30%. Today, women are leading in business, medicine, and the armed forces. But the change isn’t restricted to these fields.
Millions of grassroot women are being empowered across India. The National Rural Livelihoods Mission has nearly 11.5 million Lakhpati Didis, women who are members of self-help groups (SHGs) and have an annual household income above Rs. 1,00,000. The Drone Didi scheme aims to provide drones to 15000 selected Women SHGs during the period from 2024-25 to 2025-2026, to apply liquid fertilizers and pesticides to fields, spray herbicides, manage water resources and irrigation by identifying areas that need water and analyze soil quality and fertility.
Since its inception, over 69% of the loans provided under the PM Mudra Yojana – the government’s collateral free credit scheme – have gone to women. Nearly 80 percent women in India have a bank account that they operate themselves. Programs like Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Jal Jeevan Mission have benefitted nearly 100 million and 122 million households, providing access to toilets and tap water, respectively, benefiting millions of women. Under the Prime Minister’s rural housing program, 74 percent of houses have been registered either solely or jointly in women’s names. The government’s program to distribute free gas cylinders has helped 103 million women get access to smoke free kitchens. As of May 2024, over 1.4 million women were elected members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which includes the position of Sarpanch. This makes up 46% of the total elected representatives of PRIs. Women Sarpanches have been involved in projects to improve water, solar power, paved roads, toilets, and banks in their villages.
To enable women with voice and agency to lead, an extra push is required. Our government has demonstrated commitment to this agenda through landmark legislations such as the Women’s Reservation Bill that guarantees 33% of all seats in the directly elected Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The amendment to the Maternity Benefit Act guarantees women with paid maternity leave for up to 26 weeks. Initiatives like the Women’s Helpline and SHe-Box provide support to women in distress while the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) aims to setup 1000 Working Women Hostels across the country thereby fostering economic independence.
The Honorable Prime Minister’s clarion call for women led development during India’s G20 presidency has been endorsed by Brazil during its presidency in 2024. It is our nation’s commitment towards harnessing the full potential of our women, recognizing their invaluable contribution, and celebrating their role as leaders in the journey towards progress and prosperity. Let’s come together and unite for #AccelerateAction, leading the charge to shape the future of India. Join hands, embrace change, and be a part of this inspiring journey towards progress and empowerment.
(The Author is Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India. Courtesy: PIB)
