On Women’s Day, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh highlighted the significant growth of women’s participation across all sectors over the years.
“When speaking particularly about the sciences, in the past, women were mostly found in fields like gynaecology and paediatrics,” he added. “But now, their role has expanded across many disciplines.” According to him, in earlier batches of civil services, only 2 to 3 per cent of candidates were women. Today, that number has increased to 25 to 30 per cent, he added.
Singh was speaking at the International Women's Day celebrations at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi on Saturday. The event celebrated women in the branch of science and technology and also recognised female entrepreneurs for their contributions.
Director General of CSIR, Dr N. Kalaiselvi—the first woman to hold this position—spoke about the importance of female participation in society. “Women are a bundle of emotions,” she said, adding that they are also emotionally strong. She emphasised that “every discipline worldwide is significantly dependent on women”.
A few reports highlighted by the principal scientific advisor to the government, Ajay Kumar Sood, read that India has the highest number (42.7 per cent) of female graduates in the STEM field globally. He also noted that out of 1.5 lakh Indian startups in 2025, more than 74,000 “have at least one female director”.
A play staged by the CSIR members highlighted women entrepreneurs. Dr Disha Ahuja’s biogas plants, P. Sudha Reddy’s Prima ET11 E-tractor, and Shikha Vermani’s initiative of The Purple Himalayas were broadly mentioned.
Biogas plants manufactured by Ahuja use “high-rated biomethanation technology to turn biodegradable waste into biogas which can be utilised for cooking and even in biofertilizers. This odourless and easy-to-operate waste management unit was launched in 2015. “A total of around 40 such plants have been established across India,” Ahuja explained.
She added that similar plants are set up at Bowenpally vegetable market in Hyderabad, Amrita Hospital in Faridabad (Haryana), Telangana’s Rythu bazaars, and at Osmania University campus in Hyderabad.
On the other hand, Vermani’s The Purple Himalayas stemmed from the Purple Revolution promoting lavender farming in Jammu & Kashmir.
The event also featured the release of a compendium of selected projects under the ASPIRE scheme, which has provided research grants to around 300 women scientists for three years.
Additionally, the Associate Project Director of Chandrayaan-3 was felicitated for her role in India’s successful moon mission.