New Delhi, Mar 31 : SAHIT, founded by Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, to empower women, drive inclusive growth and build collaborative pathways to meaningful workforce inclusion, today held the second edition of their national conference. Shri Jitendra Singh, MOS (IC), Ministry of Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences, was the Chief Guest on the occasion and also felicitated 17 women and 8 organizations for outstanding achievements and work done towards addressing barriers to women
The Minister released the SAHIT Knowledge Report, along with Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, and Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA; Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog. and Chief Architect – NITI Frontier Tech Hub, and Ms. Kavita Bhatia, COO, India AI Mission. After the release of the report, Dr. Singh remarked, “Platforms like SAHIT are extremely important for promoting women in decision-making roles and establishing role models that can inspire a generation of female innovators and pathbreakers. Owing to Hon’ble PM’s vision, we are quickly moving from development from women to women-led development of the nation. Sahit will be an important proponent for that. I congratulate Dr. Subi Chaturvedi for creating such a relevant platform and wish her all the best as she continues to chart new territory in the space and influence young women to dream big, work in STEM fields and aspire for excellence ”.
Thanking the Minister, Dr Subi Chaturvedi, Founder of SAHIT remarked, “If India is to remain at the forefront of the digital economy, we don’t need only more women in the workforce, but women in critical decision-making roles shaping policy, platforms, and capital flows.” Highlighting the systemic shifts required to secure India’s techade and highlighting SAHIT’s importance, she further said, “SAHIT is our
dedicated effort to bridge that gap, ensuring half of the nation’s population can purposefully contribute toward nation-building and the Prime Minister’s vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. We are deeply committed to celebrating role models and plugging the leaky pipeline for women in STEM and girls in ICT.”
Central to the event was the launch of the SAHIT Knowledge Report which included primary empirical research from SAHIT and other partner organisations, detailing ground-level surveying on concerns impacting women’s participation in the Indian workforce. One of the key findings of the report was that while 57% of the women benefit from inclusive policies at their workplace, less than a third of the women have sufficient knowledge regarding such policies and programs, indicating a need for better internal communication and information exchange at organizations. The report also noted an increase in FLPR and highlighted the opportunity to increase the GDP by 27% if the gender gap in the labour force is closed.
A central pillar of the SAHIT mission is establishing visible role models to inspire the next generation of female innovators. During the ceremony, Shri Jitendra Singh conferred the prestigious SAHIT Icon Awards upon five trailblazing women which included Dr. Parvinder Maini; Smt. Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog and Founder, NITI Frontier Tech Hub; Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson and Founder, Biocon India and Smt. Kavita Bhatia, COO, IndiaAI Mission. In addition to the Icons, SAHIT also felicitated 17 Women Achievers for their proven excellence across administration, science and technology, business, industry, and sports. The platform also honored 8 Changemaker Partner Organisations whose foundational research and contributions were instrumental to the SAHIT Knowledge Report.
Reflecting on the success of the overarching event, Col. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General of ASSOCHAM, added, “Today’s session, ‘Icons of Impact: Women Who Are Rewriting India’s Growth Story,’ has been a powerful reminder that women are at the forefront of India’s transformation. Their resilience, innovation, and leadership are not only inspiring but essential to shaping our future. We are proud to partner with a prestigious platform like SAHIT to make this initiative truly impactful.”
The SAHIT Awardees expressed their profound appreciation for the initiative, emphasizing the essential role that dedicated platforms like SAHIT can play in dismantling systemic barriers and amplifying female voices. They noted that such recognition not only celebrates individual milestones but serves as a vital catalyst, encouraging more women and young girls to aspire for excellence and actively realizing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision for a women-led Viksit Bharat. Summarizing the mission forward, Dr. Subi Chaturvedi stated, “The SAHIT platform is designed to be a dynamic network of networks for action. By forging robust collaborations and partnerships across government, academia, and industry, we will continue to serve as the definitive platform for accelerating women’s equitable
participation in the formal workforce and championing women in leadership roles across every sector of our economy fulfilling the Hon. PM’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.”
