Page 2 - EDII Report 121

EDII REPORTS 121 EDII REPORTS 121

Involvement of Women in all spheres, especially leadership positions, is extremely important, Towards The Paradigm Where Equity,
and women must step forth to take charge at the peak of affairs, no matter how the circumstances
are. It is high time that we see a fair representation in power and influence. Solidarity and Empowerment Reign

…..the Women in Leadership Conclave
This year’s theme was #EmbraceEquity#, and, rightly so, beyond giving women equal
opportunities; we need to aim at ensuring fair inclusion and amalgamation of women in every

field, sector and domain that a society can possibly be exposed to. It’s great to notice that India has omen as leaders and entrepreneurs are across occupations, and their incredible
successes write stories of their mettle and determination. To mark the International
instituted several policy measures to encourage women to step forth and make decisions to give
WWomen’s Day, EDII organized the 'Women in Entrepreneurship' Conclave on its
themselves a sustainable growth and livelihood opportunity. The New India is providing winning campus. The conclave was inaugurated by Chief Guest, Smt. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson,
platforms to women through innovative schemes and networking opportunities. National Commission for Women (NCW) in the presence of Guest of Honour Dr. Pankaj Mittal,
Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities; and Special Guests, Ms. Mona Khandhar,
Principal Secretary, Finance Dept (Economic Affairs), Govt. of Gujarat; Mr. Romit Sen,
A lot of confidence and decision making ability comes from being financially independent, just as
Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India, & Dr. Rachana Gemawat, Chairperson,
the Chief Guest, Smt. Rekha Sharma also mentioned. And, given this, women entrepreneurship FICCI FLO.
development has gained prominence in the recent times. Through its various programmes and
projects focused on entrepreneurship & skill development, EDII has sought to enhance the
incidence of women-owned enterprises.

I am happy to state that through its focussed work, EDII has been able to delve into strategic
development and livelihood generation frameworks to ensure a positive impact on the ecosystem
for women empowerment and entrepreneurship.

According to the largest survey report on entrepreneurship, the Global Entrepreneurship
Monitor Survey for 2021-2022, among female adults, Total Early Stage Entrepreneurship
Activities has increased significantly as 12.3% of the total female population is 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 the 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.
(extreme R) Chief Guest, Smt. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW); (2nd from L) Guest of Honour
Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities; (3rd from L to R) Special Guests, Mr. Romit Sen, Vice President,
In line with the way the perspectives are changing, this Conclave too, was very encouragingly Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India, & Dr. Rachana Gemawat, Chairperson, FICCI FLO and (L) Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII
lighting the ceremonial lamp.
represented by women from diverse sectors including policy making, education and business. The
deliberations were fruitful and helped set a direction, promising a prosperous and peaceful world Experienced and young women leaders from academia, government and the world of business
for the fairer gender. expressed their thoughts, as panelists, in the Panel Discussion, post inauguration, on topics like –
Changing perspectives in the domain of Women Entrepreneurship, CSR initiatives on
Empowering Women, Government Initiatives and Women Entrepreneurship, the Role of
My heartiest compliments to all the women out there and to all the crusaders who are working Education in Breaking Stereotypes, the Significance of Skilling for Women in Rural & Urban
for the cause… Locales, and Challenges Faced by Women Leaders. The discussions focused on understanding the
gaps in the ecosystem for women empowerment and entrepreneurship, and deliberating on the
- Sunil Shukla ways of plugging gaps.

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