Women Empowerment

Gender diversity on boards: Private firms pip public peers, shows data

MCA's January 2026 bulletin shows women form 29% of directors in private firms versus 20% in public companies, even as overall registrations and LLP formations continue to rise

President Murmu launches four women-centric welfare schemes in Delhi

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday launched the Pink National Common Mobility Card and three other women-centric welfare schemes of the Delhi government. Addressing the gathering at the "Sashakt Nari, Samriddh Delhi" programme, Murmu said initiatives like free bus travel and integrated transport access would strengthen women's independence and safety. At the event held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the President also launched a scheme providing two free LPG cylinders annually to ration card-holding families on Holi and Diwali. The Rs 129-crore benefit will be transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer, the statement said. She further launched the Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana and the "Meri Poonji, Mera Adhikar" initiative. Murmu said empowered women, with freedom to make decisions, can change the direction of society and the nation. Stressing collective responsibility, the President said women's empowerment is not just the governm

Bihar CM transfers ₹10k each to 2.5 mn women under Mahila Rojgar Yojana

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday transferred Rs 10,000 each to the bank accounts of 25 lakh women under the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana', which aims to promote women's empowerment through self-employment and livelihood opportunities. Kumar disbursed a total amount of Rs 2,500 crore through direct benefit transfer (DBT) at a function held here at his official residence, 1 Anne Marg, officials in the CMO said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched Bihar's 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana' in September, 2025. Around 1.81 crore women have so far received Rs 10,000 each, and those who have utilised the sum for setting up a business will soon get another Rs 2 lakh, the officials said. The chief minister had recently announced that the Bihar government initiated the process of providing additional financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh to select beneficiaries under the scheme.

Brand Smriti Mandhana: A quiet tide in men's game, but challenges remain

With back-to-back successes, both on and off the field, the Indian women cricket vice-captain is rewriting the endorsement playbook

Budget 2026: SHE Marts aim to turn SHG women into enterprise owners

Union Budget 2026 plan links SHG products, retail markets and easier finance for women-led businesses

Why Economic Survey says women-led growth needs care and mobility reforms

The Economic Survey says rising female workforce participation must be backed by safer mobility, care infrastructure and flexible work to unlock women-led growth and shared domestic responsibilities

Chhattisgarh govt releases 22nd instalment of Mahatari Vandan Yojana

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai disbursed ₹634.65 crore at a programme in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district

Rising women-focused cash schemes pose tough fiscal, political calls

Bihar's last-minute scheme reflects a broader shift toward unconditional transfers, even as many states run revenue deficits and debt levels climb

12 states to spend ₹1.68 trillion on women's cash schemes: Report

A total of 12 states across India will collectively spend Rs 1.68 lakh crore on unconditional cash transfer schemes for women in 2025-26, up from just two states implementing such programmes three years ago, according to a new report by think tank PRS Legislative Research. The report said six of these 12 states have projected a revenue deficit this year, highlighting growing fiscal pressure linked to the rapid expansion of women-centric welfare payouts. "Among the 12 states implementing UCT schemes, six have estimated a revenue deficit in 2025-26. However, adjusting the revenue balance to exclude spending on UCT schemes shows an improvement in fiscal indicators of these states," the report said. Unconditional cash transfer (UCT) schemes, which aim to empower women from economically weaker households through monthly direct benefit payments, have become a key welfare feature in several states. The number of states providing largely unconditional cash transfers (UCT) to women has ...

Odisha working to make every woman financially independent: CM Majhi

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said his government was committed to ensuring that every woman in the state becomes financially independent, self-reliant and capable of entrepreneurship. Inaugurating the second edition of the 'Subhadra Shakti Mela' here, Majhi said the fair, which will continue till November 12, was a platform to showcase women's empowerment and entrepreneurship under the Subhadra Yojana. "Our goal is to create a prosperous Odisha by 2036 and to make it the growth engine of a developed India by 2047. This goal will be fulfilled when the power of our lakhs of Subhadra mothers is awakened. They will be empowered and their valuable contribution will be in every field of development," he said. The Subhadra Yojana is a unique model to achieve that goal, he stated. He added that Odisha has achieved unprecedented success by creating 17 lakh Lakhpati Didis in a very short time under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship scheme Lakhpati Didi Yojana.

Priyanka Gandhi urges women to unite as a collective political force

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that women constitute 50 per cent of the country and when they use this force collectively as a political strength they can shape the country. She also said that women's efforts are often unrecognised, irrespective of their family or social status but, it is the women who stand strong whenever the family or society faces problems, Priyanka said. Speaking at the Kudumbashree CDS annual celebrations organised here by the Padinjarathara panchayat, the Congress MP from Wayanad said, "When you understand your strength as a collective force, you can shape this country. You are 50 per cent of our nation and you must use this force collectively as a political strength, as a political force as well". "So, I hope that more and more of you will also come into politics, more and more of you will lead, more and more of you will show the men how much women can do when we stand strong and when we recognise our own inner strength," she said. The .

Active participation of women needed to achieve Viksit Bharat: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said that the active participation of women was necessary for the country to leverage its demographic dividend and achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047. Murmu, speaking at the centenary celebrations of St Teresa's College here, also said that a society led by women leaders is likely to be more humane while also being more efficient. She pointed out that the Gender Budget allocation has increased by four and a half times over the last decade and that women-led MSMEs have nearly doubled in number between 2011 and 2024. "One of the key pillars for achieving the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 is reaching 70 per cent women workforce participation. Women from different socio-economic segments have been driving India's progress," the President said. She further stated that Kerala has the most favourable gender ratio in the country and that it "can be emulated by other states." The president noted that women from Kerala hav

Datanomics: Women secure 7% of Nobel Prizes, mostly in Literature & Peace

Since 2021, three women have won Nobel awards in Peace, two each in Literature and Medicine, one each in Physics, Chemistry and Economics

Opposition slams exclusion of women journalists from Afghan FM presser

The opposition on Saturday termed the absence of female journalists from a press conference of visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi "unacceptable" and an "insult to women", and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the "emptiness" of his slogans on 'Nari Shakti'. The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) said the act was "highly discriminatory" and urged the government to take the matter up with the Afghan Embassy to ensure that such gender- based exclusion in media briefings does not occur in the future. Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Modi over the absence of female journalists from the presser, saying by allowing "exclusion" of women scribes from a public forum, the prime minister is telling every woman in India that he is "too weak to stand up for them". In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Mr Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling ..

Coal India's first all-women-operated central store unit opens at SECL

The company spokesperson said that store operations will be conducted through a modern SAP-based digital management system, ensuring efficiency and transparency

One for the girls: Poor sex ratio underlines Delhi's social regression

Strengthening legal deterrents in this manner may be necessary to ensure that loopholes in the law banning sex-selection tests are closed

₹10,000 direct transfer for 7.5 mn women as PM Modi launches Bihar scheme

The ₹7,500-cr scheme, launched ahead of the Bihar polls, will provide ₹10,000 each to 7.5 million women, aiming to boost self-employment, livelihoods, and financial empowerment

Statsguru: The paradox of women's empowerment, leadership in South Asia

South Asia, therefore, has been central to the story of women in top leadership, but the numbers remain small even today

Govt committed to empowering women, Ladki Bahin to continue: CM Fadnavis

The Maharashtra government won't stop the popular Ladki Bahin' programme and instead is committed to creating one crore Lakhpati Didis', who will earn Rs 1 lakh every year, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. The government will also provide employment opportunities to women by setting up women-led credit societies in villages, he said after launching the statewide Mukhyamantri Samruddha Panchayat Raj Abhiyan' at Kingaon in Phulambri taluka in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The campaign aims to ensure that every village receives the benefits of the central and state schemes. Maharashtra will not prosper unless villages in the state register progress, he said. It is not possible until the poor, labourers, and villages prosper, he said. The CM asserted that the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana', under which eligible women beneficiaries receive monthly assistance of Rs 1,500, won't be discontinued. Some people claimed that the Ladki Bahin scheme will be scrapped. Our siste

How HR can Shape the Future of Business

HR is now a strategic voice shaping people, culture, and business. In this episode, Urvi Aradhya, CHRO at K Raheja Corp, shares insights on comebacks, leadership, diversity, and the future of HR.