Need to scale up the small businesses to medium-sized organizations: Smriti Irani

There is a need to scale up small businesses to medium-sized organizations, which will be transformational for the economy, said Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon’ble Minister of Women & Child Development and Minority Affairs, Government of India, while addressing the session on ‘Reinforcing the Power of Inclusiveness: India’s Growth Story’ at the CII Partnership Summit 2023, organized by CII and DPIIT on Tuesday, March 14.

Discussing the role of the CII Indian Women Network (IWN) in furthering the women-led empowerment agenda, the Minister said if we (women) win, you win. The Minister said that Indian women are at the fulcrum of change and need to occupy leadership roles in corporations, which would truly be transformational for the country.

Reflecting upon the need to hear the voices of women who are involved in self-help groups, the Minister suggested that an enabling ecosystem be created and platforms given to them. India needs to look at increasing the share of women who are optimally skilled and employable, added the Minister.

The pandemic helped to realise the potential of women who were at the frontline of healthcare service delivery, she stated. Smt Irani added that the government has allotted a significant outlay for gender spend and it is the responsibility of all key stakeholders to address the needs and rights of women. To make it truly inclusive, the Minister stressed, it is equally important to pay attention to the needs of the differently-abled and those belonging to the minority segment.

Ms Shobana Kamineni, Past President, CII & Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, India, said that as India takes up the G20 Presidency, women empowerment is high on the agenda and every Indian needs to work through complex challenges and make it a possibility to create better opportunities for women.

Ms Smita Agarwal, Chairperson, CII National Committee on Women Empowerment and Indian Women Network (IWN)and Director and CFO, PTC Industries Ltd, India, said that the IWN is working to establish a strong women-led development agenda to create equal opportunities, enable capacity buildingand empower women to occupy leadership roles.

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said it is important to enhance the role of women in the digital ecosystem, facilitate access to finance and markets, and create a thriving start-up culture for women, amongst other areas.

14 March 2023 

New Delhi