With safety protocols in place, technology is a wonderful servant: Mr Anjani Kumar, DGP, Telangana.

Free shuttle for women

Hyderabad, March 18, 2023…….SHE M POWER–5th Women’s Conclave & Awards 2023 with the theme “Accelerate Safety & Well-Being in Sustainable World” held on Friday at JRC Convention center, Filmnagar in the city. More than 1000 delegates have taken part in the same.

Mr. Anjani Kumar, IPS, Director General of Police, Telangana; Mr. Stephen Raveendra, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad; Ms Jennifer Larson is the Consul General in Hyderabad; Dr. Gurunath Reddy, CMD, Continental Hospitals, Mr Krishna Yedula, Secretary General, SCSC; Ms Nitika Pant, IPS, DCP-Women and Child Safety; Ms Pratyusha Sharma, Jt. Sec Women’s Forum, SCSC graced the conclave and spoke.

DGP Anajani Kumar launched two She Shuttle Services sponsored by Virtusa and Providence. It had 15 to date and two more added and together are impacting one lakh people a month.

Addressing the gathering Mr Anjani Kumar, DGP said with safety protocols in place, technology will be a wonderful servant. Cultivate the culture of protocols.

One flight either lands or takes off every minute across the world. Except few, not many incidents or accidents are seen because of the adherence to the strict protocols, standard systems, and checks and balances. These protocols have to be evolved in every field he said.

Which are the top most populous countries in the world? he asked the audience. The stock answer we have is China and India. But it is Facebook he said. If Facebook was to be a country, it has 2.4 billion subscribers, more than China or India’s population. Facebook knows everything about you. Your date they have is more vulnerable, he said.

He explained how terrorists used more intelligence than police in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Dr Gurunath Reddy, CMD of Continental Hospital gave the keynote address. And he gave convincing facts about how women are superior to men. Women’s brains work five times faster than men’s. MRI shows that 70% of neurons in women’s brains light up much faster to perform multiple tasks than men. Men can spint well. But women beat men in the long run. Women proved to have more endurance than men in the case of the 195 km long run. No man could ever beat that record. Women have higher physical endurance. Women are healthier, they live longer. Their muscle fiber is stronger and makes them better long-distance runners and bikers. Less women are diabetic, fewer women suffer cancer. They get fewer infectious diseases. Men get more flue attacks than women, he said much to the surprise of the audience.

Stephen Raveendra, Commissioner of Cyberabad Police said the theme of the conclave is vital to society. We have come a long way in women related matters, but still long way to go. Women’s rights are still challenged. One of the few challenges is the financial well-being of women. The women are financially excluded and discriminated. Education is the cornerstone for women’s empowerment. We see girls excelling more than boys in tenth-class results but subsequently dropping out. Only 9% of co-founders of startups are women. Wellbeing of a woman is another critical component. He urged corporations to pay more attention to the wellness of women employees. Time for change is now, he said and concluded his speech.

Welcoming the gathering Ms Pratyusha Sharma, SCSC Women’s Forum leader said the theme was chosen carefully. How do we accelerate safety, and well-being in a sustainable world by always paying due respect to women, helping them rise and helping them voice and ensure the message reaches more? Margadarshak and sanghamitra trained to date 1500 and cases reported approximately 850 plus she informed. Knowledge-sharing sessions and safety sessions covered 60,000 people. We prepared a safety hostel list to enable employees to look for safe hostels certified by SCSC and Cyberabad police as per the 10 commandments, she informed

Krishna Yedula said SCSC is the single largest touch point serving two million workforces. SCSC’s scale, size and impact haas grown. It has been playing a catalyst role for so many years. She Shuttle services which started with one has now gone to 17 and demand is increasing

Three Panel discussions were held. One was on Vision for SCSC was moderated by Krishna Yedula. The panellists include Apoorva Rao, IPS., SP Nalgonda Dr Ramadevi – Amara Hospitals Anil Rachamalla – End Now Foundation.

Participating in this Apoorva said police are focusing on data and evidence-led policing. She said that cyber crimes are on the rise. Dr Rama Devi spoke about mental health and how to handle stress. Anil Rachamalla said the gifts of technology are addiction, attention deficiency, impatience, instant gratification, and no empathy. In all these common sense is missing in social engineering cases which are on the rise more than cyber crimes. In social engineering crimes they use some data collected online, he said.

The second panel was on Sustainability as a way of Life for a balanced Ecosystem. It was moderated by Padma Priya. Swaraj Priyadarshi, Dexterity Global 2. Elca Grobler and My Choices Foundation were the two panelists.

A fireside chat was held with Murali Krishna, Country Head-Providence, moderated by Pratyusha Sharma on the Health & Mindset of Women in the Workplace.

Nukkad Natak by Meru International Students was performed on Child Safety

Ms Jennifer Larson, Consul General of the US Consulate was the Chief Guest for the Awards ceremony. She highlighted the importance of women in every area of our world. She presented Industry and Individual awards in the category of women’s safety and well-being to the respective winners. Short Film Contest Winners and Key Achievers in the field of safety, well-being and sustainability were also feted.

Special Achievers: Sravanthi Shivaram; Payal Kapur (Sens It Eyes); Shipra Gandhi (Spreading Happiness); G Amulya (Golfer). SHE Teams were also honoured with awards including Mohammadi WPC; Shankaramma WPC; Anasuya WPC; Sarala Wasi WPC; G Pushpavathi WPC; Sangeetha ARWPC. The Sanghamitra volunteers recognised include Ramesh Pittala; Shabana Rehmat; Aashita. Kamble; Nisha Karki. The Margdarshak honoured were Nagesh Reddy Alla; Dr Usha Yanamandra; Chandrakanth AS. The companies honoured were Dr Reddy’s; Metrochem; Cognizant Technology Solutions; Berkadia; Factset System India Pvt Ltd; Tech Mahindra. Two hospitals too were recognised AIG Hospital and Medicover Hospitals

Dupati Govind Raju won the 1st Prize in Short Film Contest; Chandavolu Bhanuprakash, 2nd Prize and Chikati Sravan Kumar, 3rd Prize. They too were honoured by Ms Jennifer.

Bharosa Lounge was set up. Awareness desks on initiatives like Women & Children; SHE Team and on how to file Anti Human Trafficking Cases were set up. Rotary Sumitra stall created awareness of Menstrual Health and Hygiene. Karkinos stall educated visited on how early detection helps reverse the problem. The Naari stall spread the importance of women’s wellness and initiatives.

Valvoline India announces the start of its 3rd Mechanics’ Month Campaign: KEEPING THE WORLD TURNING

Valvoline India announces

Hyderabad, March 13, 2023: Valvoline Cummins Private Limited (“Valvoline Cummins”), the Original Engine Oil maker and a leading global lubricant manufacturer powering the future of mobility through innovative services and products, initiated the 3rd edition of the mechanic month campaign globally and in India. The campaign revolves around the theme; ‘‘Keeping the World Turning” and aims to celebrate the effort of mechanics and thank them for their dedicated endeavours to keep the world turning.

This year, Valvoline Cummins aims to honor the contribution of mechanics in keeping the world’s engines turning and inspire people to join the month-long celebration to thank mechanics globally. Mechanics play a crucial role in keeping our vehicles in optimal condition. Their expertise and required care help keep our vehicles functioning at their peak performance. Time and again, mechanics have proved their value to society with their everyday attitude to fix the minutest of issues that have cropped up at odd hours and even caused an emergency. Behind every moving vehicle is a trusted mechanic who will forever be the backbone of the automobile industry. Through this initiative, Valvoline Cummins is inspiring people to show appreciation to their mechanics for their relentless efforts in keeping the world turning. The campaign will be carried out on various mass media platforms such as radio, digital, and on-ground. The campaign aims to sensitize people about the hard work that mechanics put into caring for our vehicles and encourage them to extend heartfelt messages to their trusted mechanics.

To further thank the community, Valvoline has provided education to the children of truck drivers, mechanics, and underserved people under their ongoing initiative Muskaan Scholarship program. The scholarship aims to support the education of children between 9th and 12th standard. With the help of the scholarship, many children have been able to score excellent results. Additionally, the scholarship awardees will be mentored by the employees of the company, who will take dedicated time out of their working hours to help them with other aspects of life. The scholarship has been granted to 1250+ children, with more to come.

“Last year, the campaign focused on recognising the contribution of mechanics in keeping the world moving forward” said Ipshita Chowdhury, Head of Marketing, Valvoline Cummins. “In 2023 we want to thank mechanics and inspire people to do the same for their crucial role in keeping the wheels of our life ever turning.”

“It gives us immense pleasure to announce the third edition of Mechanic Month as we join hands with mechanic professionals to celebrate their contribution towards the automobile industry and acknowledge their pivotal role in keeping our engines running smoothly” said Sandeep Kalia, Managing Director, Valvoline Cummins.

“In this fast-paced world, we often forget to recognize the efforts of mechanics in vehicle safety and performance that keeps our life safe and moving. We believe that through these campaigns we can encourage consumers to realize and thank mechanics for their dedicated service and make them feel special for their valuable work. We, at Valvoline expresses immense gratitude to mechanic workers in keeping India turning and forever steering towards growth and development.”

Valvoline has long been a supporter of mechanics through various programs and campaigns throughout its more than 150-year history. Since the inaugural launch of the Mechanics’ Month initiative in 2020, participation has grown from 15 countries to an additional 50 expected for this year’s observance. Valvoline leadership credits Mechanics’ Month’s overall uniqueness in the category and its broad reach and relevance as catalysts for increased adoption around the world.

In India, Valvoline Cummins manufactures a wide range of fluids, viz., engine oils, gear oils, radiator coolants, brake fluids, etc. for engines made by various OEMs. Valvoline Cummins firmly believes that its growth potential lies in the quality of execution, its power to innovate, and in its resolve to remain a step ahead of market demands. Its mission as a brand is to leverage real-world insights to provide valuable tools that generate success for its customers and users.

I-Run, Hyderabad’s first exclusive women’s run held

-women run was organised to break these barriers

Hyderabad, March 13, 2023..…I-Run, Hyderabad’s first exclusive women’s run held on Sunday morning at Hitex. It was organized as part of the three-day Business Women Expo 2023 organized by Hitex. It was held with a unique theme ‘I Run–Breaking Barriers”

According to Mr. Samuel Sudhakar, the Run was a huge hit. It was organized in three categories–3kms, 5kms, and 10kms. The starting and ending point was within the Hitex only. A total of 1120 participants participated. 25 to 30% of participants were first-timers. It was organized by Traditions Event Management in association with Hitex. It was open to all ages. Women as young as 14 and as old as 76 participated in the run.

There was good corporate participation too from companies such as Synchrony, Accenture, DE Shah, and others. It will be an annual event and will be held every year.

The women-only run was held on the last day of the Business Women Expo, the biggest-ever Expo for women entrepreneurs and innovators with over 220 plus exhibitors from 15 states.

I-Run found that women were shy about participating in runs. They said it was because of lack of company, whom to run with. Also, they didn’t participate partly because of their household responsibilities, said Samuel. Now, these are the things of the past. More and more women are choosing to lace up and run down the miles on foot. They believe that the world of sports or fitness will not be portrayed as a man’s world.

I Run believes that every start line and every finish line is a triumph. Every woman has her story and her struggle and when you say I RUN, I will be celebrated the entire way said Mallika, a participant.

I ran for the new-age woman who is changing the game, together, a 75-year-old homemaker said

I ran for the woman who is smashing and breaking barriers, Alpana Shah added.

Madhubala said her siblings pushed her into running and she is enjoying it now.

I ran for the woman who is set on changing the world for good, one step at a time, and shared a teacher, who had come all the way from Warangal to participate in the event.

You can start running any time of your life, with any level of fitness – and we know this is a barrier for so many women who succumb to the lie that “oh, I can’t run” or “I’m not very good at running” … this doesn’t matter. Running has the power to change lives, added Arun of Tradition Events.

Hyderabad resume Semifinal battle with the Mariners in Kolkata

Mariners in Kolkata

Kolkata: After a lively encounter at the Gachibowli Stadium that ended in a goalless draw last week, Hyderabad FC will now travel to Kolkata, as they take on ATK Mohun Bagan in the second leg of the Hero Indian Super League Semifinal at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on Monday.

The Mariners bowed out at this stage to a spirited Hyderabad FC side last season but with the tie evenly poised after the first leg, this clash at the Salt Lake Stadium promises to be a blockbuster.

Juan Ferrando’s men are one of the strongest sides in the league, and put on a solid display away from home last Thursday. The likes of Hugo Boumous, Manvir Singh, Pritam Kotal and Dimitri Petratos all came close to giving the Mariners a lead in Hyderabad, but failed to break a resilient Hyderabad FC defense all night.

Manvir and Akash Mishra put on a thrilling display of pace and strength to cancel each other out on the wing while Odei Onaindia and Chinglesana Konsham hardly gave the visitors a sniff on goal.

But it was a story of two shot-stoppers, who excelled under pressure. Vishal Kaith pulled off a couple of stunning saves at one end. Gurmeet Singh made sure his goal was not breached at the other end as both teams kept their 11th clean sheet of the season, on the night.

With the two teams registering a one-goal win apiece in the league stage, the second leg could also be a close and cagey affair.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, HFC Head Coach Manolo Marquez said that it will be a very difficult game for both teams. “ATK Mohun Bagan have a very good squad and some very dangerous players. I think we managed to keep them quite for most of the game in the first leg.”

“But they are a strong team and will be difficult to beat at home. We played a very good game tactically in Hyderabad and will look to do the same at the Salt Lake Stadium,” added the Spaniard.

Hyderabad started without key contributors Joao Victor (returning from injury) and Bartholomew Ogbeche, both of who only came off the bench on Thursday. Laxmikant Kattimani has also been absent, which meant that HFC had three of their captains not starting the first leg.

However, the likes of Borja Herrera, Javi Siverio, Mohammad Yasir, Halicharan Narzary, Joel Chianese and Sahil Tavora were all impressive on Thursday and will look to put in a similar performance in this game as well.

But playing away from home, Coach Manolo believes that the Mariners will be a tough nut to crack in Kolkata. “ATK Mohun Bagan are a really strong side at home. They make sure that the players get every advantage they can and that is normal.”

“They do things like leaving the pitch with a lot of water, cutting the grass to exactly 20mm and other things that helps their players. But we are a strong side wherever we play as we do not change our style and that makes us a tough team to beat,” he added.

Hyderabad are the only side to beat ATK Mohun Bagan in their last six games but are yet to beat the Mariners at the Salt Lake Stadium. They will hope that they can set this record straight in what is the most important game of their season so far.

The game kicks-off at 7:30 pm IST on Monday and will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network with live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and JioTV.

Mohan Brothers presented Marvel of Jugalbandi Season 2 A live concert in New Delhi

 

New Delhi, 13th March 2023: The first Indians to be invited to perform at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and nominee for the Global Indian Music Academy Awards for Best Classical Instrumentalists, the Mohan Brothers – Lakshay Mohan(Sitar) and Aayush Mohan(Sarod) presented Marvel of Jugalbandi Season 2, a live concert tour today in Nation’s Capital at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, where audience witnessed a celebration of the true spirit of Jugalbandi (Duet) – a music format which brings about a classic blend of two instruments.

This concert tour involved a jugalbandi of the traditional Indian instruments: Sitar & Sarod which have been a part of our Indian Classical Music for hundreds of years and are considered two of the most challenging instruments to master. Apart from Delhi the shows also happened in Mumbai and Bangalore as well. The event was graced by the wonderful presence of Shyam Mohan Gupta, Mr. K L Ganju, Golfer Neelam Prataap Rudy, Kathak Dancer Shinjini Kulkarni, Artist Manisha Gawade, Entrepreneur & Fashion Designer Neha Gupta, Poet Rekha Gupta, Ghazal Singer Radhika Chopra & many more.

Signature Global Commemorates National Safety Week: Focuses on Occupational Health and Safety

Signature Global Commemorates National Safety Week:

Gurugram: Signature Global, a prominent real estate brand in affordable and Mid-Income Housing, commemorated the 52nd National Safety Day and Week with great zeal at its project sites located in Gurugram. The company has organized a week-long campaign, starting from the 4th of March to the 10th of March 2023, in collaboration with its contractors, employees, and construction workers. The objective of this campaign is to rekindle the commitment to ensuring a safe work environment throughout the year and promoting occupational health and safety.

The campaign was held across various Signature Global sites, including Sector 36 Sohna-Park 4 5 and Serenas in Sohna, Proxima at Sector 89, Millennia 1 at 37D, SG City Sector 81, and SG City Sector 92.

Mr. Lalit Kumar Aggarwal, Vice Chairman and Whole-Time Director of Signature Global (India) Ltd., expressed his views on this occasion, stating, “As a company, Signature Global has always emphasized the significance of maintaining a secure and healthy work environment, thereby providing our customers with the highest quality standards. Safety Week, besides spreading awareness about safe work practices, provides us with a unique opportunity to implement the safety policies on a daily basis and minimize adverse incidents.’’ He further added how Signature Global also understands the importance of humanity, Signature Global provides Day-Care facilities for the children of the workers and even provides education-related activities to encourage the children to further take up on the opportunities and have a promising future.

The primary objective of National Safety Day is to underscore the importance of safety measures and raise awareness among individuals to follow them stringently, thereby averting any mishaps in the workplace. Each year, the theme of the occasion is carefully selected to highlight the criticality of maintaining a safe and secure work environment. The theme chosen for this year’s observance is “Our Aim – Zero Harm,” which epitomizes the crucial objective of safeguarding society as a whole. The event aims to curtail the frequency of incidents causing harm to people, resources, and the environment. Signature Global holds ISO Certification for Safety.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank takes pride in assisting Kolkata Traffic Police to Support “Respect Women” Campaign on International Women’s Day

"Respect Women" Campaign on

Kolkata, 11th March 2023: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a leading small finance bank, is proud to assist Kolkata Traffic Police on the “Respect Women” campaign. The campaign aims to promote the safety and well-being of women in the city and to create awareness about the need to respect women’s rights.

As part of the “Respect Women” campaign, Kolkata Traffic Police Department will coordinate the city’s auto & cab drivers and educate them about women’s safety and their rights. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank extend support by providing traffic signage, and barricades and commits to further supporting this cause in the future.

Ujjivan SFB strongly believes in empowering women and is committed to promoting gender equality as part of its inclusive strategy, both for its customers and employees. Through this joint initiative, Ujjivan SFB aims to raise awareness among city drivers and citizens about the importance of respecting women’s rights. The bank believes that this initiative will have a positive impact on the society, towards creating a more gender-equal world.

Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala honoured with the Prof. Krishnaji Memorial Lecture Award

Chennai, India – March 10, 2023: IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP), India’s first university-based research park, today announced that Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IITMRP was conferred with the prestigious “Prof. Krishnaji Memorial Lecture Award (2022)” by The National Academy of Sciences (NASI) on the occasion of recently conducted National Science Day.

Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala

Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, deemed a pioneer in nurturing Industry-Academia interaction in India towards R&D, Innovation, Product Development & Commercialization, was felicitated for his instrumental role in conceptualising IIT Madras Research Park, an innovation paradigm ecosystem and India’s first University based research park, envisioning necessary Industry-Academia Intervention and Incubation.

Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala was also acclaimed for his manifold contributions to Wireless Local Loop & Digital Payment Technology, Solar-DC and In-Battery Systems for Electric Vehicles, through the IITM Incubation Cell and Rural Technology Business Incubator (RTBI). Professor also served as the principal advisor to the Ministry of Power in the Govt. of India and the Ministry of Railways during the year 2017-18.

Kinder Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre celebrates International Women’s Day with Padma Shri Awardee Shree Saalumarada Thimmakka

Kinder Bangalore, March 09, 2023: To commemorate International Women’s Day, Kinder Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre, one of the leading women and child healthcare units in the city, in association with Rotary Bangalore Whitefield Central, organized a special event. The event was graced by Padma Shri Awardee Shree Saalumarada Thimmaka, one of India’s most celebrated environmentalists.

This year’s theme, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, calls for collective activism to create an inclusive world. Kinder Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre observed this day with tree planting and organizing fun events.

The Chief Guest, Shree Saalumarada Thimmaka, kicked off the event by planting new trees at a designated location. The hospital also launched a healthcare package for women called “Women Wellness Package – Gift of Love” and organized various fun games and a fashion show by Mrs. India and Karnataka. Women TV anchors from Bangalore and Mrs. India Karnataka were felicitated during the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Padma Shri Awardee, Shree Saalumarada Thimmaka, said, “Women are like trees that are first planted as saplings and nurtured for years to bear the responsibility of ourselves, families, and others. On International Women’s Day, I urge everyone to embrace and nurture each other, so that we can collectively shoulder every responsibility and create an inclusive world. I thank Kinder Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre for including me in their celebrations today and wish them the best for their continued commitment to caring for women and children.”

“At Kinder, we strive to take care of every woman and child and help them stay in the pink of their health at all times. On International Women’s Day, we pledge to provide incessant support and continue with our endeavors of offering the best healthcare services for all women and children. We are truly honored and thank our Chief Guest, Padma Shri Shree Saalumarada Thimmaka, for gracing the occasion with her presence and sharing her experiences as an Environmentalist,” shared Mr. Sudhindra Bhat, Chief Operating Officer, Kinder Women’s Hospital & Fertility Center

Women must learn to take calculated risks to become successful entrepreneurs, says Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, NCW

Dignitaries at the Women in Leadership Conclave

Monday, March 8, 2023: To mark the International Women’s Day, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) organised a ‘Women in Leadership Conclave’ at its campus on 6th March 2023. The conclave was inaugurated by Smt Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW) as the chief guest in the presence of Guest of Honour Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, Special Guests, Ms. Mona Khandar, Principal Secretary, Finance Dept ( Economic Affairs) , Govt. of Gujarat, Mr. Romit Sen, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India, & Dr. Rachana Gemawat, Chairperson, FICCI FLO, and Dr Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII.

Addressing women entrepreneurs, students, and academicians as well as experts from different sectors, Smt Rekha Sharma in her inaugural speech said, “There has been a growing awareness about raising the social and economic status of women in society with an increased focus on education, training, and handholding. This is a great development as women continue to remain underrepresented on almost every platform that requires them to wield power and decision-making authority. We want more and more women to come to the fore and break stereotypes and barriers that hinder growth. We all want to witness an inclusive and equitable society. We need to make space for women who have for long been subjugated to stereotypes and highly typical roles and, we can achieve this by encouraging women to take calculated risks, become economically independent, focus on business networking, and avoid crumbling under peer pressure.”

Dr. Shukla in his opening remarks said, “The economy can experience balanced growth only when women are encouraged to nurture their creativity and spirit of innovation. It is great to see how New India is providing winning platforms to women through innovative schemes and networking opportunities. Through its various programmes and projects focused on entrepreneurship & skill development, EDII has sought to enhance the incidence of women-owned enterprises. According to the largest survey on entrepreneurship, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Survey for 2021 -2022, among female adults, Total Early Stage Entrepreneurship Activities have increased significantly as 12.3% of the total female population are engaged in entrepreneurship as compared to 16.3% of the male. The male-female difference still exists and needs to be worked on to improve female representation in the overall of Total Early Stage Entrepreneurship Activities country. I am happy that several efforts are being put in place to encourage women to step to the forefront.”

Guest of Honour, Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, said, “ Women do step out with big dreams but as they progress towards the top, their participation and representation decreases glaringly. Women should refrain from creating an invisible glass ceiling of contentment and continue to rise. Society also needs to stop stereotyping women and give them a more warm welcome for bigger, unconventional roles. Women need to hold hands of other women and encourage each other on the way.”

In his address, Mr. Romit Sen, Sr. Vice President, of Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India said, “Skill development has really played a big role in bringing women to the forefront. Along with women, society as a whole also needs to be sensitized so that there is an encouraging systemic change. HSBC’s HMI project has focused on skilling women and empowering them by ensuring sustainable livelihood options for them. Today these trained women beneficiaries are financially independent and are in a much better place to think creatively and implement winning business strategies for growth.

Ms. Mona Khandar, Principal Secretary, Finance Dept ( Economic Affairs) , Govt. of Gujarat, “ Gujarat has a significant presence of MSMEs and women play a major role in this. There are some immensely progressive government schemes and subsidies to encourage women to become entrepreneurs. Women-led startups are coming up now in various promising domains, and I see a future where women will establish their strong identities in the sphere of entrepreneurship.”

Dr. Rachana Gemavat, Chairperson, FICCI FLO Ahmedabad said, “We as a society need to support women in breaking barriers and handhold them in donning the role of enablers. This will lead to significant growth for the economy. A conducive support system that instills confidence in women and encourages them to rise above the fear of failure will work wonders on helping women rise and shine.”

The inauguration was followed by a panel discussion with esteemed panelists focused on understanding the gaps in the ecosystem for women empowerment and entrepreneurship, and deliberating on the ways of plugging gaps.

As part of the conclave, an exhibition by EDII-trained women entrepreneurs was also organised. Women entrepreneurs under EDII’s Centre for Empowerment of Differently-Abled (CEDA), Handmade in India (HMI) project, Hastkala Setu Yojana, and Centre for Advancing and Launching Enterprises (CrAdLE) displayed their craft and products at the exhibition.