Varsha Pawar resides in a village in Maharashtra was like any other housewife until she started selling solar cook stoves and lamps in her neighbourhood a little over a year ago. Today, she is the Sarpanch (village council chief) of Tirth Khurd (her village name) advocating the use of clean energy not only in her village but also in the entire Tuljapur administrative block.

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Women show the way in India’s progress
Varsha Pawar resides in a village in Maharashtra was like any other housewife until she started selling
solar cook stoves and lamps in her neighbourhood a little over a year ago. Today, she is the Sarpanch
(village council chief) of Tirth Khurd (her village name) advocating the use of clean energy not only in
her village but also in the entire Tuljapur administrative block.
Mrs. Pawar story is amongst many such stories which captivate the mind of an individual. India is a
developing economy and the role of women’s contribution is as equally important as the men’s.
According to an ASSOCHAM-Thought Arbitrage Research study,in 2016, India's performance in female
workforce participation stood at 27 per cent, significantly behind China (64 per cent), Brazil (59 per cent),
Russian Federation (57 per cent), and South Africa (45 per cent). Things are changing and fast for good.
Women have come a long way and today they walk with the men counterparts in every stride of life. To
bring forth a vision which lies ahead for many more contributions going to happen, let’s look in to their
accomplishments here.

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Here we present some ofthe leading women entrepreneurs in India:
Indu Jain
Indu Jain is the current chairperson of India’s largest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., which
owns the Times of India and other large newspapers.
A Padma Bhushan recipient, she is known by many different identities such as that of a spiritualist,
humanist, entrepreneur, an aficionado of culture and the arts, an educationalist but her most prominent
and eminent role has been that of Chairman.

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Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
She is the founder Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon Limited. She started Biocon in 1978 and
spearheaded its evolution from industrial enzymes manufacturing company to a fully integrated bio-
pharmaceutical company. Today Biocon is a leading player in biomedicine research with a focus on
diabetes and oncology.

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Vandana Luthra
Vandana Luthra owes the credit to make VLCC,a beauty and wellness company into a multinational
major with presence in 11 countries across Asia,Africa and the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). She
was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for her contribution and last year,she was listed as the 33rd most
powerful woman in business in India by Fortune India.

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Naina Lal Kidwai
From being Head of Investment Banking at ANZ Grindlays during 1982-1994 to Vice Chairman JM
Morgan Stanley, Naina Lal Kidwai is one of the most successfuland famous Indian businesswomen.
She is currently Country Head and Group General Manager HSBC Group India. She has also held other
eminent positions such as that of Global Advisor, Harvard Business School, non-executive director at

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Nestle SA and as a member of Governing Board NCAER,Auditor General of India and severalother
positions.
Chanda Kochhar
She is currently the MD & CEO of India’s largest private bank ICICI Bank. Under her leadership, ICICI
Bank won the “Best Retail Bank in India” award in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and “Excellence in Retail
Banking Award” in 2002 and both awards was given by The Asian Banker.
Besides them, there are many more names to count and look upon in our country.

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An improving sentiment
According to a report in The Hindu, Partner,E-commerce and Startups at KPMG, Sreedhar Prasad said
that 15 to 17 per cent of entrepreneurs in e-commerce are women. He added, “A few years ago,it was just
2-3 per cent.” The start-up world is adding a new level-playing field and encouraging all to take the
plunge.
Anisha Singh,founder and CEO, mydala.com says, “The more awareness we build, the more
we inspire people, women included, to join in.”
Promoting climate resilience
Women entrepreneurs are now supporting rural communities to take constructive steps to improve the
quality of the environment. Adopting clean energy products and services,recharge of community water
sources and promoting agricultural best practices are undertaken to improve the long-term resilience to
climate change.
Government’sefforts
The Centre has launched of ‘Mahila E-Haat,’ an initiative to strengthen women entrepreneurs in the
country. An online marketing platform, ‘Mahila E-Haat’ will help women entrepreneurs in rural parts of
the country to sell products online to larger markets all across the country.
Conclusion
Unleashing the power of female entrepreneurship will have a dramatic effect on a country’s economy. To
truly drive the country’s progress, everyone must be able to participate in the process. The time is now for
women entrepreneurs to tap into the abundant business opportunities available to entrepreneurs today. As
a significant part of the entrepreneurial community, women have the power to grow businesses, create
jobs and develop sustainable, scalable solutions that will change the world. Women have defied

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stereotypes and are spearheading companies in every field. They are made of substance,the one who
delivers performance not only at work but also ignite the path to many other aspiring ones.