Adani Foundation Chairperson highlights role of access, skills and entrepreneurship in driving women-led development at national conference
TFP Bureau, New Delhi, February 28,2026: Emphasising that women are central to India’s journey toward becoming a developed nation by 2047, Priti Adani, Chairperson of the Adani Foundation, said women must be recognised as the true architects of the country’s transformation and growth.
Speaking at the “Empowered Women, Developed India” conference organised by Chintan Research Foundation, she underlined that policy intent must translate into sustained economic participation for women across sectors. Welcoming Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, she praised ongoing government efforts to promote women-led development and called for collective institutional action to remove structural barriers.
Drawing from field experiences, Dr. Adani said empowerment begins with access — particularly access to information, technology and markets. In rural regions where formal education levels remain limited, she noted that simple agricultural mobile applications introduced through Foundation initiatives have enabled women farmers to obtain real-time guidance on irrigation, fertiliser use, seed selection and market prices. This, she said, has improved crop yields, strengthened incomes and boosted confidence among rural women.
Highlighting livelihood initiatives, she pointed to the growing success of women-led dairy collectives. More than 3,500 women are currently associated with self-help group–based milk collection centres supported by the Foundation, collectively handling over 7.5 million litres of milk annually. Transparent pricing systems, quality testing and structured procurement processes, she said, have improved income stability and enhanced bargaining power for these women.
She also spoke about flagship health and livelihood programmes designed to address grassroots challenges. Under the “Suposhan” initiative, trained local women volunteers have helped improve the health of more than 325,000 women of reproductive age. Another programme, “Swabhimaan,” has provided sustainable employment opportunities to over 4,500 women across 300 self-help groups. Such initiatives, she stressed, demonstrate that empowerment is not charity but a structured process of expanding access to skills, finance, leadership and markets.
Referring to the Union Budget’s recently announced “Self-Help Entrepreneurs” initiative, Dr. Adani described it as a significant policy step that could help women transition from microcredit beneficiaries to independent entrepreneurs with access to growth capital. She said the move aligns with the Foundation’s philosophy of accelerating women’s economic advancement and leadership.
Panel discussions at the conference focused on entrepreneurship, governance and rural leadership, reinforcing the view that women’s participation in the economy is essential for long-term national prosperity. Concluding her address, Dr. Adani urged institutions, industries and policymakers to prioritise removal of systemic barriers and expand opportunities across education, training and enterprise ecosystems.
She ended with a call for collective action and confidence in women’s potential, stating that the next phase of India’s growth will be powered by women leading in classrooms, workplaces, village enterprises and digital marketplaces, adding, “Let her lead, she will make her own way.”
