'Indian Women Have Proven They Can Manage Everything From Chulha To Chequebook,' Says Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde

Mumbai: Indian women have proven that they can successfully manage a chulha and also manage a chequebook at the same time, said Mumbai's mayor Ritu Tawde at a felicitation ceremony for women entrepreneurs, hosted by the Hindu Economic Forum.

Mayor Shares Life Journey as Self-Help Group Member

The ceremony was organised at the National Stock Exchange on Saturday, in partnership with The Free Press Journal, on the theme of ‘Celebrating Women Entrepreneurship – From Sankalp to Samriddhi’. The event brought together successful women entrepreneurs, industry representatives, policymakers, and prominent figures from across the country to celebrate women's economic empowerment and leadership.

Tawde attended the event as the chief guest and inspired the large gathering, dominated by women, with her life journey, highlighting that she started her public life journey with a women's self help group. “I am a live example of what an independent woman can do. Women form half of the country's population and if our contribution can be equal to men, we can help the country's GDP rise multifold. This participation is growing and it has become clear that Indian women can manage chulha as well as the chequebook,” she said.

BMC to Offer Incentives for Unorganised Women Workers

The mayor also highlighted that women have a major role in Mumbai's financial progress. “Mumbai is a very good example of women empowerment as the city's fast pace is tackled very efficiently by women. Every working woman in Mumbai feels that she wants to be a part of the city's progress,” she said, adding that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon be rolling out financial incentives for women working in the unorganised sectors.

The programme was presided over by HEF's secretary Ravikant Mishra. In his presidential address, he said that the organisation hosts such events every year to build a strong platform for dialogue and collaboration between established entrepreneurs, industry stakeholders, and emerging business leaders.

Mody Urges Women to Make Space for Themselves

"The purpose is not merely to bring entrepreneurs together on one stage but to build an economic ecosystem where industry leaders, investors, professionals, startups, and innovators can share their experiences, knowledge, and resources to create greater prosperity for society. Women have always played a vital role in India's growth. The need of the hour is to move beyond enabling women to find employment and to help them become entrepreneurs who create employment for others,” he said, urging every section of society to collectively build a supportive ecosystem for women.

The keynote addresses were delivered by Vishwamitra Research Foundation's founder Priyam Gandhi Mody and well-known educator Rouble Nagi, sharing their perspectives on entrepreneurship, leadership, self-confidence, and social responsibility. Mody suggested that women should follow five components of success – dream big, pursue excellence, stay vigilant, believe in divine intervention and remain focused.

Panel Discusses Investment, Brand Building, Independence

Mody said, “Women have to try twice as hard as men to be given the same opportunities. In Vikasit Bharat, we contribute only 18% to the economy, which has to be changed. We cannot wait for men to give us space or reservation, we have to find our strength and make space for ourselves.”

Nagi, who recently won the prestigious Global Teacher Prize earlier this year, highlighted that a single woman can change the lives of hundreds of people, giving examples of women among her organisation's 8.5 lakh members, who are involved in skilling their villages. “It's high time we realise what we need. Why do we have to overtake men or fall behind them as well? We can match their position. to bring equality in society, we need to have equality within us,” she added.

A panel discussion during the event saw Nawaz Modi Singhania, Vineeta Dalal, Preeti Rathi Gupta, and Seetu Kohli exchange views on women entrepreneurship, investment, brand building, financial independence, and the growing role of women in business.

Eight inspiring women entrepreneurs were felicitated for their outstanding contributions across diverse fields. The awardees included educator Rubal Nagi, actress Sahila Chaddha, Stay Vista's co-founder Ankita Sheth, EUME's co-founder Naina Parekh, Andura Expeditions’ co-founder Shri Supranayee, Hedgehog & Fox LLP's co-founder Adv. Priyanka Dubey, Aurum Foods’ founder director Anisha Anand and Green Gold Agro's founder Shweta Barve.

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