A roundtable discussion on “Economic Empowerment of Women in India” was organized by Confederation of Indian Industry on 7th July 2015 at the CII Headquarters, New Delhi. Ms. Parul Bansal, Assistant Professor from Electronics and Computer Engineering Department, Ms. Susmita Samanta & Ms. Dipti Girdhar from Department of Applied Science & Humanities and Ms. Poonam Singla from Electrical and Electronics Department of Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon attended the event.

The Chief Guest for the evening was Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi (Member of Parliament). The session was attended by dignitaries from industries, academics and various other fields.

Ms. Radha Bhatia (Chairwoman, Indian Women Network - Delhi Chapter and Chairperson, The Bird Group) briefed the attendees about the objectives of the Indian Women Network (IWN) launched by CII. She explained that the CII National Committee on Women Empowerment works with industry to strengthen women’s role and participation in the economic sphere and community affairs. Gender equality at workplace; Prevention of sexual harassment at workplace and Women empowerment at the community level are some of the focus areas. CII has also instituted the annual CII Woman Exemplar Award to honour women who have taken initiatives against all odds in the fields of education, literacy, health and micro enterprises. The Committee conducts periodic studies and prepares manuals and reports on women empowerment. The key issues are education, health and capacity building for women.

Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi appreciated CII for taking this initiative to work with the under privileged women and help them in need. She discussed about implementation of the government’s policies for the upliftment and empowerment of women belonging to different strata of the society and steps to fill in these gaps.

Ms. Radhika Prabhu (Senior Policy Advisor - South Asia, Secretary Office, United States of America) emphasized on the vital role of women and the in the Indian economy and their need for economic development.

Ms. Amanda Mansour (Representative – US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning) said that the issue of women empowerment is a global issue and the problems faced by the women are of same nature throughout the world and thus an integrated and comprehensive approach is required for making and implementing the policies.

Ms. Sharmishtha Mukherjee talked about the role of tradition in helping the women to find out ways for their economic stability. She also explained the importance and need of women entrepreneurs in India for empowering the society as a whole.

Ms. Manpreet Brar Wallia (Vice Chairwoman, Indian Women Network – Delhi Chapter and Director, The Walsons Group) said that being a member of IWN gives an opportunity to serve the society and empower women, which is a crucial aspect in the economic development of a country and it cannot be neglected.

The session was very interactive and the attendees discussed about the innovative ideas to the problems faced by women and how can people from educated class and background extend their support towards the women in need.

Some glimpses from the event: