Dr. Preeti Adani, helm of Adani Foundation, made headlines Thursday at the ‘Empowered Women, Developed India’ forum in New Delhi, hosted by the Center for Research and Policy Studies. Her message was unequivocal: sidelining women economically dooms any nation to stunted growth, a lesson etched in global history.
India, with its storied legacy, must unlock women’s full power, she said. Take the dairy collectives in villages: over 3,500 women now manage 75 lakh liters of milk collection annually, securing stable incomes, better deals, and unbreakable confidence.
In the foundation’s farthest outreaches, education for girls is a rarity—illiteracy plagues generations, with higher learning out of reach. Dr. Adani hammered home the need for education and skills as cornerstones of change.
True empowerment spans the spectrum: educating girls to dodge early marriage and seize jobs; skilling youth in vital sectors like healthcare, agriculture, digital tech, renewables, and manufacturing. She spotlighted successes like Mudra Yojana’s micro-loans, Digital India’s rural connectivity, and Ujjwala’s health-boosting clean fuel.
Loans for women businesses fall short without complementary support—skills training, digital proficiency, market links, infrastructure, advice, and ecosystem backing. Optimistically, Dr. Adani declared, ‘Confident women in schools, training institutes, village ventures, and digital spaces will author India’s triumphant development narrative.’