Female scientists, innovators ‘take over’ Indian PM’s social media on International Women’s Day

NEW DELHI: Posts by female scientists and innovators dominated the Indian prime minister’s social media on Saturday, in what his office said was a tribute to their achievements in celebration of International Women’s Day.

India has been trying to engage more women in engineering and technology jobs. Various policies encouraging them to pursue education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have already resulted in it having one of the highest percentages of female STEM graduates in the world.

According to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education by the Ministry of Education, the number of female STEM graduates has risen from 38 percent in 2014-15 to 43 percent in 2021-22.

While the rate was higher than in most countries, the percentage of women retained in the workforce was disproportionately lower. The Ministry of Science and Technology estimated last year that only 18.6 percent of researchers and scientists in India were women — a trend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been vowing to improve.

To highlight the commitment, Modi’s Women’s Day social media activity included dozens of posts by Indian women published directly on his platforms.

“Today, as promised, my social media properties will be taken over by women who are making a mark in diverse fields!” Modi said on X.

They included Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist from the Indian Space Research Organisation, whose stories and achievements were narrated in first person on the prime minister’s account.

Ajaita Shah, a social entrepreneur who focuses on financial inclusion, described her efforts in supporting rural women and their entrepreneurship.

“I feel proud that not only have I been able to make a difference, I am also seeing many more women rising to the occasion and doing the same,” she said.

“Our emphasis has always been on integrating technology to ensure skilling and financial inclusion of women. It would amaze you all, the ease with which India’s women are adapting to technology.”

Dr. Anjlee Agarwal, founder of Samarthyam, an organization promoting universal accessibility and inclusive mobility, spoke about her work in empowering people with disabilities and efforts to change mindsets and incorporate the notion of inclusive spaces in India’s governance.

“I want to ignite a spark of transformation, and seek a call to action — forget labels, forget barriers,” she said.

“Let’s ensure that every woman, every individual, can navigate their life with dignity and independence.”

The youngest woman whose story was featured on the prime minister’s account was Vaishali Rameshbabu, a 23-year-old chess player who has been winning titles since the age of 12 and became a grandmaster last year.

Narrating her story, love for chess, and efforts to climb in the FIDE rankings, she wrote that she wanted to encourage women to “follow their dreams and break barriers” in any field they chose.

“I know they can!” she said, as she also left a message for Indian parents: “SUPPORT GIRLS. Trust their abilities and they’ll do wonders.”