Women-led development crucial for gender equality, growth: Munjapara

Women entrepreneurship is vital for achieving gender equality along with economic growth and the country has made huge strides in this area, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Munjapara Mahendrabhai said on Wednesday.

Addressing the delegates, panelists, and participants of the Second G20 Empower meet which is underway here, the minister called for working towards creating an ecosystem that nurtures women entrepreneurship and leadership ensuring greater access to mentoring, capacity building, and financing to help them scale up their businesses.

The minister, in his inaugural address on the theme 'Women's Empowerment: A Win-Win for Equity and Economy', also urged for focus on promoting women-led development with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, STEM education, and grassroots women's leadership.

 

"One of the key areas of focus is women's entrepreneurship, which India sees as vital for achieving gender equality and economic growth. India has already made significant strides in this area with over 230 million women availed of business loans, generating entrepreneurship opportunities at the grassroots of India," the minister is quoted as saying in an official release.

The minister also stated how India is empowering women and girls through access to resources, financing, and digital literacy with over 257 million 'Jan Dhan' bank accounts opened for women, increasing access to financial services and promoting digital payments.

The country has a strong track record of supporting women leaders in non-conventional sectors, such as defence with over 2,000 women officers receiving Permanent Commission in the Indian armed forces.

Going forward, Mahendrabhai stated that under the G20 Empower platform, India envisages the creation of a global mentoring and capacity building platform, establishing a sustainable financing model, and setting up an e-marketplace to support and promote women-led businesses.

He also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's exhortation that "women are the backbone of our society. They play a pivotal role in shaping our future. Empowering them is not only our moral responsibility but also a necessary condition for sustainable development."

Speaking about the policy actions that focus on women in India, the minister said the country must not let half of its population remain underutilised and underrepresented.

Union Women and Child Development Secretary Indevar Pandey, during his address to the gathering, emphasised that in keeping with the Prime Minister's vision of including women as active agents in the growth story of all G20 nations, India leads by example by focusing on women's issues in a life cycle continuum approach.

The official stated how Ayushman Bharat, a flagship health scheme of the central government, addresses the healthcare system by covering prevention, promotion, and ambulatory care at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels with free treatment provided to over 500 million citizens, of which 49.3 per cent are women.

In addition, 82.7 million women have been scanned for breast cancer and 56.6 million women for cervical cancer free of cost, he said.

Pandey also said 310 million oxo-biodegradable sanitary products had been provided at Re 1 through government pharmacies (Jan Aushadhi Kendras) promoting menstrual hygiene among women.

He further highlighted that building on the overarching spirit of women-led development, the G20 Empower meeting at Thiruvananthapuram brings together some of the top women leaders, scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, cultural artists, and social visionaries from India and around the world.

The official urged every G20 delegate guest country and international organisation representatives to go beyond their threshold and exceed their own expectations of their individual contributions towards women's empowerment.

The second G20 Empower meeting under India's yearlong presidency of the global forum underscores the vital role of gender equality and women's economic representation in achieving sustainable development, the statement added.