NCW and EDII Collaborate to Promote Women’s Entrepreneurship and Digital Empowerment

Ahmedabad, July 04, 2025: The National Commission for Women (NCW), in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, conducted an interactive session with women entrepreneurs to promote economic self-reliance and digital empowerment. The event was held at the EDII campus and included a workshop on ‘YASHODA AI’, a digital literacy initiative focusing on Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity.

The session was attended by Smt. Vijaya K. Rahatkar, Chairperson, NCW; Mrs. Shivani Dey, Deputy Secretary, NCW; Mr. Ramawatar Singh, Head – Training, NCW; and Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII. Around 250 women entrepreneurs participated in discussions about the challenges and opportunities in entrepreneurship and digital innovation.

“Empowering women isn’t just about giving them skills — it’s about building confidence and shifting mindsets. Women should feel safe, capable and ready to lead, whether it’s in business, technology or everyday life. With novel initiatives and with meaningful partnerships, NCW is helping women step into the world of technology and innovations. AI is a new and rapidly growing field, offering immense opportunities and possibilities for women. NCW’s effort is to ensure that our daughters and sisters understand, learn and move forward in this emerging technology. We are committed to empowering every woman in the field of AI, so that they can also play a significant role in developing the future of our nation,” said Smt. Vijaya K. Rahatkar.

The event also featured an exhibition by artisans trained by EDII, inaugurated by Smt. Rahatkar.

In the financial year 2023–24, EDII and NCW jointly conducted 100 Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes (EAPs) across 35 states and Union Territories, reaching nearly 6,000 aspiring women entrepreneurs. The partnership has also led to research studies and Women’s Safety Audits in cities like Varanasi and Indore to assess women’s safety in public and workplace environments.

“NCW’s novel efforts, as well as progressive national and state schemes and policies for promoting women entrepreneurship envision an inventive new generation of entrepreneurs who will build startups on the premise of knowledge, innovations and technology. NCW and EDII’s joint effort has also been rewarding in the way it has built capacities and generated knowledge among aspiring women entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII.

The event marks another step toward strengthening institutional support for women entrepreneurs, particularly in emerging technology fields.