Women have played a crucial role from time immemorial, be it freedom struggle to present times in a wide variety of fields and the seeds of gender equality have been sown in our country through various steps; it will reap benefits for our society on the whole and as a consequence, women empowerment will lead to an equitable, inclusive and diverse growth story of India says Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar. 

Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar chaired the “Women leading Change in Health and Science in India” Conference along with Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (IC) Science and Technology. Melinda French Gates was the Guest of Honour at the event.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Pawar said, “We must take inspiration from the Indian women personalities like Anandibai Joshi, Kadambini Ganguly, Kalpana Chawla etc., who despite against all odds achieved stupendous feats in their fields. We must celebrate their impact and strive to do more in several ways.”

She said that significance of the women’s crucial role in our progress especially in health sector can be adjudged from the fact that one million ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, who remained at the forefront of healthcare service delivery in India especially as first line of defence in the crucial period of COVID-19, received the Global Health Leaders Award-2022 in the backdrop of 75th World Health Assembly.

Highlighting various steps taken by the Government of India, Dr. Pawar said, “Government is dedicated towards making our women capable in every field. Taking consistent efforts, the Government has initiated new programs and continuing previous interventions through its institutions, scholarships, financial support etc leading to a vibrant ecosystem where women can flourish and harness their full potential.”

Dr. Pawar emphasized on bringing women workforce at par with men workforce, more women centric initiatives being the need of the hour for holistic development. This would be an apt celebration to our golden period of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM).

Union Minister of State (IC) Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, “Women are taking their well-deserved place in the society and we must do away with the past hangover of gender specific roles. In the spirit of AKAM, government schemes must not be seen from a welfare perspective but also as a platform that can strengthen their resolve. Women remain a crucial part of our country's human resources and if efficiently harnessed they can contribute immensely towards the development of our country.”

Melinda French Gates said, “Government has taken crucial steps like emergency cash transfer through Direct Benefit Transfer which is a great example of gender intentional policy. The Indian Government has been pushing forward from bottom up to build a gender equal country.”

She was hopeful that the Gates Foundation and Government of India would work in coordination to achieve shared goals and improve the aspect of gender equality in the country even further. 

Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT); Dr. Renu Swarup, Former Secretary, DBT; Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO; Dr. Alka Sharma, Senior Advisor, DBT & MD, BIRAC; Amie Batson, Executive Director, Women Lift Health; Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Mission Director, Grand Challenges India; along with other dignitaries were also present.