Page 4 - EDII Report 121

EDII REPORTS 121
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 increased focus on education, training and handholding. This is a great
development as women continue to remain under represented 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. Women
should take calculated risks, become economically independent, focus on business
networking and avoid crumbling under peer pressure.”
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. The 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, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India said,
“Skill development has really played a big role in bringing women to the forefront. Along
with women, the 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.
Dr. Sunil Shukla in his remarks on the occasion, 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. I am happy that at the
national and state levels, several efforts are being put in place to encourage women to
step to the forefront.”
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EDII REPORTS 121
limpses of EDII trained women entrepreneurs being awarded by Shri Rakesh Sharma, President-EDII and
MD & CEO, IDBI Bank Ltd. in the presence of esteemed Board Members (R-L) Shri Manoj Mittal,
GManaging Director & Chief Executive Officer, IFCI Ltd.; Dr. Milind Kamble, Founder Chairman (DICCI);
Dr. Sunil Shukla, DG EDII; Dr. Sailendra Narain, Former Chairman & Managing Director (SIDBI) &
Shri Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General (FISME); during the mid-term review of the EDII Business Strategy
(2019-2024) and 126th EDII Governing Board Meeting, at Goa on January 29th & 30th, 2023.
EDII trained women entrepreneurs being
awarded by Shri Rakesh Sharma, President -
EDII and MD & CEO, IDBI Bank Ltd.
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 a 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.”
As part of the conclave, an exhibition by EDII-trained women entrepreneurs under various
projects, was also organised.
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