Mayor Ritu Tawde Announces BMC Incentives For Unorganised Women Workers In Mumbai
On Saturday, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde addressed a felicitation ceremony celebrating women's economic empowerment at the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai, where she announced that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon roll out financial incentives for women working in unorganised sectors.
The event, themed ‘Celebrating Women Entrepreneurship – From Sankalp to Samriddhi’, was hosted by the Hindu Economic Forum (HEF) in partnership with The Free Press Journal. The ceremony brought together successful women entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry representatives to celebrate female leadership and economic empowerment.
Speaking as the chief guest, Mayor Tawde shared her personal journey, noting that she started her public life with a women's self-help group. She emphasized the capability of Indian women to manage both household and financial responsibilities. "Indian women have proven that they can successfully manage a chulha and also manage a chequebook at the same time," Tawde said.
Tawde highlighted that women play a major role in Mumbai's financial progress, stating that the city's fast pace is tackled efficiently by women. She added that increasing women's participation to equal that of men could help the country's GDP rise multifold.
The programme was presided over by HEF's secretary, Ravikant Mishra, who spoke on the importance of building an economic ecosystem to help women transition from finding employment to becoming job-creating entrepreneurs.
Keynote addresses were delivered by Priyam Gandhi Mody, founder of the Vishwamitra Research Foundation, and educator Rouble Nagi. Mody pointed out that women currently contribute only 18% to the Indian economy and urged them to make space for themselves. Nagi highlighted that equality within women is essential to bringing equality to society.
A panel discussion featuring Nawaz Modi Singhania, Vineeta Dalal, Preeti Rathi Gupta, and Seetu Kohli focused on brand building, investment, and financial independence.
The event concluded with the felicitation of eight inspiring women entrepreneurs for their outstanding contributions across diverse fields. The awardees included Rubal Nagi, Sahila Chaddha, Ankita Sheth, Naina Parekh, Shri Supranayee, Priyanka Dubey, Anisha Anand, and Shweta Barve.
