The International Women’s Day is observed globally on March 8 each year to honour the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has organized a virtual round-table webinar on March 6, 2025 on the theme "नारी शक्ति से विकसित भारत" to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2025, celebrating the invaluable contributions of women and highlighting the ongoing efforts towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in India.

Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG, made the welcome address and emphasized empowering the next generation—young women and adolescent girls—who will be the driving force of transformative change. He added that the idea of an empowered India by 2047 cannot be realized without harnessing the full potential of women and in this journey, every individual and every woman matters.

Smt. Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, highlighted how the doors of Civil Services opened for women post-independence and since then, the role of women in Civil Services is shaping the Indian growth story. She highlighted how the legislations like Maternity Leave, Child care leave, etc helped women to contribute better towards nation-building along with balancing their family duties and also how India has witnessed a positive trend in female workforce participation over the past six years, with higher economic engagement, declining unemployment, and more educated women entering the workforce. She also highlighted the significance of strengthening workplace safety, equitable policies and underscored the need for compliance mechanisms, gender audits, and enforcement of PoSH regulations.

Smt. Vandita Kaul, Secretary, Department of Posts, reflected upon the struggle of women being involved in far greater share of unpaid care work than men. She shared about the transformative impact of the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, emphasizing its role in empowering women. She also underscored the crucial contributions of women in government administration and urged collective efforts to inspire and retain more women in civil services. She also shared her personal experiences about how she herself faced various challenges as a woman during the Civil Services preparations.

During the webinar, key interventions were made by Ms. Varnali Deka, IAS (D.C. Nalbari, Assam), Harichandana Dasari, IAS (Special Secretary, Govt. of Telangana), Ms. Keerthi Jalli, IAS (Commissioner, Panchayat and Rural Development, Govt. of Assam), Ms. Tina Dabi, IAS (D.C. Barmer, Rajasthan). They elaborated on the efforts of their administration towards empowerment of women. Smt. Snehlata Shrivastava,1982 batch IAS officer and Smt Rita Menon, 1975 batch IAS officer also shared their experiences as women civil servants.

The virtual webinar was attended by more than 250 officers of Government of India and State Governments. The event provided a platform for thoughtful discussion and exchange on critical issues surrounding women’s empowerment in India.

Smt. Sarita Chauhan, Joint Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances presented the Vote of Thanks.

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NKR/PSM