😴National Women's Day: India's tale from women’s development to women-led development

🅾️We want deeper sincerity of motive, a greater courage in speech and earnestness in action – Sarojini Naidu

👉India celebrates its National Women’s Day on February 13 every year, on the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, to honour and remember the life of one of India’s greatest women. Sarojini Naidu, who is also popularly known as the ‘Nightingale of India’, was a legendary freedom fighter, poet, and politician who made remarkable contributions to India’s independence movement, women’s rights, and Indian literature.✅️

🔵It is a day to recognise and celebrate the contributions of women in India and to empower and inspire young women to follow the footsteps of women like Sarojini Naidu.

👉As Women’s Day is dedicated to encouraging more women to take up leadership roles and make their mark in society, this day also reminds us of the challenges that we have to overcome on the path of gender justice.

🔵Women’s development transitioned into women-led development

✅️In the ‘Amrit Kaal’ when India is approaching its hundred years of independence, women’s development has been transformed into women-led development.

👉Under the G20 Presidency, India has identified women-led development as one of the high-priority subjects. It has also constituted an engagement group called Women20, which is focused on gender equity. 🔵The group aims to ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated into the G20 Leaders’ Declaration as policies and commitments that foster gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

🅾️The recent inception meeting of the G20 Empowerment and progression of Women’s Economic Representation (EMPOWER) group of the Ministry of Women and Child Development was held on February 11 and 12 in Agra. The theme of the meeting is “Empowering Women to Lead across Sectors: Role of Digital Skilling and Future Skills”. “If you want to get your future right, if you want to be future-ready, make sure that women are at the centre of the discourse and that women are at the centre of your decision,” said Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, speaking at the event.

🔵Undoubtedly, the G20 is rooting for the development of women across sectors, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

🧜‍♀️President calls for women empowerment:

👉The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, is a representative of women making history, becoming the first tribal President of the country.

“Women empowerment is not just an issue of social justice, it is also an economic imperative,” said the President

🅾️India’s leading women personalities

🔵Apart from the President, many other Indian women have been in the news recently. 👉Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Nykaa Founder Falguni Nayar were among the six Indians who made it to the Forbes’ annual list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. The other Indians to be featured on the list are HCL Tech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, and Steel Authority of India Chairperson Soma Mondal.✅️

🔵Milestone in Indian Women’s Cricket

👉While remembering the achievements of Indian women in recent times, one cannot forget the history that has been made by India’s Under-19 women’s cricket team in Potchefstroom, South Africa, on January 29.

🆒 India won their maiden ICC title in women’s cricket as a bunch of sprightly and talented teenagers lifted the inaugural U-19 World Cup with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over England.⭐