Women’s Day: Meet the women handling PM Narendra Modi’s social media accounts

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to ‘Nari Shakti’, and reiterated that his government has always worked to empower women through several schemes and programmes.

He also said that his social media accounts will be managed by select women achievers for the day.

On International Women's Day in 2020, too, Modi's social media accounts were operated by seven such women achievers. Here is a look at who the chosen women are this year:

R. Vaishali

Vaishali is a chess player, and the sister of chess prodigy and grandmaster Praggnanandhaa. Sharing her journey in a social media post from Modi’s account, Vaishali encouraged young girls to follow their dreams. She urged parents to support girls, and encourage them to pursue their dreams. Vaishali added that her parents Rameshbabu and Nagalakshmi always supported her and Praggnanandhaa.

Elina Mishra

A nuclear scientist, Elina Mishra is from Bhubaneshwar. She credited her father for her interest in science, which led her to join Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. She has been working in the field of electromagnetism, accelerator physics and technology.

Shilpi Soni

A space scientist, Shilpi Soni hails from a humble family in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. She has worked with the DRDO, before moving to ISRO. She is currently working as Associate Project Director for GSAT-22/23 communication payload, and has been part of the ISRO delegation to French Guyana, Kourou for the launch of GSAT.

Anita Devi

A resident of Anantapur village in Nalanda, Anita Devi became self-employed in 2016, and set up Madhopur Farmers Producer Company Limited. Through mushroom production, she not only looks after her family but also provided jobs to hundreds of women. The company now provides fertilizers, seeds and pesticides to farmers at cheap rates.

Ajaita Shah

The founder and CEO of Frontier Markets, Ajaita Shah has been helping women in rural areas mitigate challenges in their life. Her venture has made thousands of women self-reliant through the use of technology. The ‘Meri Saheli App’ has played a key role in helping rural women become entrepreneurs.

Anjlee Agarwal

Anjlee Agarwal is the founder of Samarthyam Centre for Universal Accessibility, and has been working to improve the lives of people with disabilities. She conducts access audits of places, under the PRASAD scheme, and in public transportation. Agarwal aims to create an accessible and inclusive environment in India.