MVIRDC WTC Mumbai Honors Women Achievers

MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai felicitated around 35 women achievers and entrepreneurs at its International Women’s Day Celebration on March 14, 2024 at WTC Mumbai. These women have made illustrious contribution in the field of science & technology, sustainability, livelihood, branding, advertising, food processing, media & entertainment, information technology and so on.

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai pointed out, “Women have excelled in every sphere of life, wherever they have taken a step forward. Although, we are celebrating women’s day once a year, we should support and encourage women every day. Today, contribution of women is 18% in India’s GDP, 20% in entrepreneurship and 37% in labour force; Time is not far when we will have 50% of women contribution in the overall economy. If we bridge gender gap in employment, it will add USD 770 billion to Indian GDP by 2025.”

Dr. Kalantri further remarked, “We are proud to honour women achievers across diverse fields. This is the true celebration of Nari Shakti. We need to bridge gender gap in entrepreneurship and workforce to attain the vision of USD 30 trillion economy and Viksit Bharat status by 2047.”

Dr. Kalantri suggested the government to establish dedicated banks for women entrepreneurs to provide easy access to finance. Access to collateral-free loans for women entrepreneurs is a challenge and often women who start business from scratch struggle to raise funds due to lack of past track record in running business.

In her remarks, Ms. Rupa Naik, Executive Director, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai pointed out, “Extraordinary women are made from people who think beyond just earning a living. These women awardees have added meaning and purpose to their lives by pursuing their passion against all odds, challenging status quo and creating value for other women and society.”

Ms. Naik further remarked, “These awardees had to rely on their years of hard-earned savings as they did not have the luxury of ancestral wealth or easy access to finance to fund their ventures. In the absence of right mentors or proven business models, these women had to tread a painful path strewn with impediments, setbacks and course corrections before they tasted first sip of success. I am confident that the remarkable stories of these women achievers will inspire young women to consider entrepreneurship as a career opportunity.”

A key highlight of the event was the release of Special Edition of World Trade Center Mumbai’s trade journal ON TRADE on Women Achievers. This special edition carries inspiring stories of 27 women who took charge of their life, growing up from a humble background, taking up a salaried job and finally discovering their true calling in entrepreneurship. These women have pursued entrepreneurship in deep tech, retail, bakery chain, advertising, healthcare, skill development, agritech, handloom, media & entertainment, bioscience, wealth management, sustainable farming and waste management, to name a few.

This Special Edition on Women Achievers is attached herewith.