Entrepreneurship a vehicle for realising a more equal society: NITI Aayog's Amitabh Kant

Entrepreneurship is one of the vehicles for realising a more equal society, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Monday.

Addressing a virtual event to launch the revamped version of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), Amitabh Kant further said more women taking on entrepreneurship serves as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation.

"Entrepreneurship is one of the vehicles for realising a more equal society...as more women take on entrepreneurship, it serves as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation, by enhancing women's agency and status," he said.

Kant further pointed out that with over 18,000 registered users, the revamped version of WEP will continue to better serve the community.

The revamped version will also include an additional feature to offer mentorship to the women mentees with specific knowledge concerning a problem area through a dedicated online mechanism facilitated under FICCI-FLO's Empowering the Greater 50 percent mission, a statement said.

The vision of the two partners is to make 'Community' a very interactive, rewarding, and intuitive question-and-answer platform leveraging WEP resources, so that entrepreneurs can utilise it for fruitful discussions and for sharing knowledge, ultimately benefiting the women entrepreneurs ecosystem in India, it added.

Innovation most important

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart Group, said technology and innovation was at the core of the company's work.

"As a homegrown company, our constant and intense engagement with local Indian businesses, MSMEs, and startups has enabled us to better understand their challenges and needs," he said, adding that the WEP played a critical role in uplifting and empowering women-led businesses in their growth ambition.

Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy

Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development Ram Mohan Mishra said the platform would serve as a great medium to provide all the necessary support to women entrepreneurs, from creating awareness to capacity building.

Apollo Hospitals Group's Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy said it was estimated that India could add a huge chunk to the GDP of the country just by pushing for more parity and equality for women.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)