In a stirring speech at New Delhi’s Center for Research and Policy Studies event titled ‘Empowered Women, Developed India,’ Adani Foundation Chairperson Dr. Preeti Adani delivered a stark historical truth: countries that exclude women from economic participation have never sustained development.
Reflecting on India’s heritage, she urged recognition of women’s latent strength. A prime example is the foundation’s work in rural India, where women’s dairy groups have empowered 3,500+ participants to gather 75 lakh liters of milk yearly. The results? Steady earnings, stronger negotiation skills, and surging self-belief.
Dr. Adani painted a grim picture of remote areas under the foundation’s purview, where girls’ education is abysmal—many never see a classroom, and college is a distant dream. She called for urgent investments in education and skills to change this.
Empowerment, she insisted, must be all-encompassing: from schooling girls to prevent child marriages and enable careers, to training in high-potential fields like health, farming, tech, green energy, and industry. Government schemes shine here—Mudra loans fuel micro-enterprises, Digital India connects the hinterlands, and Ujjwala provides clean cooking fuel, uplifting women’s lives.
Yet, for women entrepreneurs, finance is just the start. Success demands training, digital tools, market entry, solid infrastructure, guidance, and a nurturing environment. Dr. Adani envisioned a vibrant future: ‘The script of India’s development saga will be penned by bold women thriving in classrooms, skill hubs, rural startups, and online platforms.’ Her words resonate as a blueprint for inclusive growth.