Davos/New Delhi:

One of the key themes of the World Economic Forum (WEF), year after year, is the theme of inclusion. When the world talks about inclusion, diversity is critical, but also the role of women. Former Union Minister Smriti Irani spoke to NDTV at Davos on a wide range of issues linked to women.

One of the key points that Ms Irani, a leader who has done more for social inclusion and the rights of women than perhaps any other leader in India in the last several years, told NDTV is that it is important to look at productivity from a health perspective, instead of seeing it only from a skill set point of view.

She is the chief of the Alliance for Global Good-Gender Equity and Equality (AGG-GEE), launched at Davos in 2024.

On India’s demographic dividend and the potential that it holds in relation to the role of women, Ms Irani told NDTV that broadly, Indians have for too long focussed on what is happening in the country, but now the focus must shift to Indians who are leading the global narrative.

“I believe the time has come that we shift the narrative to Indians leading the global narrative on issues such as inclusion, climate change, health innovations for global good. Many a time, people constrain us only to our geography, believing that we may be only experts on the Indian demography,” the former Union Minister said. “So the lounge that you see here [at Davos] is not a lounge which is dedicated only to the cause of inclusion, or to the energy of inclusion limited to India. We are saying we’ve done this in India for the world.”

Ms Irani said India is taking its learnings to internationally acclaimed establishments such as the World Bank and the United Nations; collaborating with organisations like the World Health Organisation; looking at budgets by policy makers, global innovators and captains of industry on how much investment can come to women-owned businesses and companies that are dedicated to health innovations and products for women, and how to make these products affordable.

To a question about data that shows women own a third of the world’s wealth, and are likely to control 50 per cent of the world’s wealth in the next five years, Ms Irani said the consumption capacity of women around the world currently is $20 trillion.

“That is something that we never talk about. When the inclusion agenda, especially with regards to women, is spoken about, it is more philanthropic in nature. It has to do more with violence, domestic or for that matter, outside. My belief and my experience in the gender agenda is that the more you enhance the capital capacity of a woman, the safer an environment you give her, both at home and at work,” Ms Irani told NDTV. “You cannot talk about just philanthropy, be emphatic in your rhetoric, and not put the money where the mouth is.”

Impact Of AI On Women At Work

At Davos, where the conversation is predominantly on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, Ms Irani said if jobs are automated, 70 per cent of the jobs that will go are jobs done by women because most of the jobs of female professionals are at entry level.

“What happens to that big labour force that we have encouraged till now to become a part of global reality? How do they get displaced? What are the strategies of policy makers, of companies with regards to such human potential and capacity? The other part is that if you look around Davos, the conversation this year is on the next level of AI engagement,” Ms Irani said, adding that till now many Indians and global citizens have looked at AI from a generative AI perspective, which means one gives a prompt to an AI service and tells what to draft.

“It [AI service] may give you a prompt on music, on art, but it doesn’t help you manifest, let’s say, a workflow. Now, what happens when you have AI agents, which will become the buzzword for 2025, which is a compounded methodology of AI? Many people presume AI is the new buzzword. AI has been in existence since the 1950s. Now, AI agents will actually lead to a further displacement of talent,” Ms Irani said.

“Are we ready for it? Because in low-income economies around the world, the internet reach is just 20 per cent, maximum 30 per cent. These are all issues that need a conversation around because displaced people means jobs in terms of potential, which are lessened, and job displacement impacts economies and society at large,” she said. “It will no longer be just a female problem. It’ll be a problem for global economies, especially the ones that are developing and haven’t reached that standard yet of per capita income, which can be celebrated.”

Viewing Productivity From Health Angle

The former Union Minister has for many years spoken about the issue of women’s health. On data that every dollar invested in maternal health yields a $30 return because of improved productivity and reduced mortality, Ms Irani said global economies will lose trillions of dollars if they do not look at health innovations that will help maintain productivity of women.

“And these numbers, in fact, are alarming because we’ve never looked at the issue of productivity from a health perspective. Most people, when they get into a discussion about productivity, they look at only the skill set. How much of productivity is debilitated because of lack of affordable health innovation? That is a conversation that is yet to start,” she said.

“So my effort will be to also keep a very, very clear focus on these aspects of productivity, of ensuring that there is more capital into health innovation, especially for women,” Ms Irani said.

New Delhi:

Former minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani, who has rolled out a skilling programme for widows in the country, has said that her focus is on equipping women with employability skills and helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) run by them get access to markets.

Ms Irani, who also serves as the Vice President of The Loomba Foundation, expressed her pride in contributing to the “Her Skill, Her Future: Empowering 100,000 Widows” initiative alongside the President of the foundation, Cherie Blair, who is a campaigner for women’s rights, leading international human rights lawyer and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The initiative aims to foster economic independence and social equity for widows across different communities by equipping them with the skills and resources needed to build sustainable livelihoods.

Founded in 1997, The Loomba Foundation was initially known in the UK to care for widows and their children and to change the culture that discriminates against them. It has now worked with 20,000 poor widows in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Syria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Rwanda, Chile and Guatemala.

“I believe India has made an evidenced case for the financial emancipation of women. When a woman is widowed, her challenges oscillate between legal and financial compulsions. Any woman when supported with procurement of skills and empowered to own a business becomes not only self-reliant but is then well equipped to handle societal challenges as well. I am not limiting myself to the skills of widows,” she told NDTV, adding that, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), she is undertaking a project across 250 destinations within India to help women business leaders and owners of SMEs.

“Similarly, as the strategic advisor to the Confederation of All India Small Traders, I am organising support across all districts of India for women-owned businesses… the support ranges from introducing them to financial institutions of repute, helping them discover new markets for their businesses and upskilling them from the perspective of enhancement of productivity and product design,” she added.

Asked about the experience of working with Cherie Blair, the former minister said, “My association with Cherie Blair is through my societal engagements with Lord Loomba and his family’s charitable work, particularly for women. Ms Blair’s personal contribution to the cause of widows worldwide as President of the Loomba Foundation is not only appreciated but is equally inspiring for those who are particularly committed to the cause.”

“It was Lord Loomba’s endeavour that the Foundation expand its reach and impact in India and that’s why a committed target of 1 lakh widows to be supported was proposed. I am elated that I could bring together the good offices of the CII Foundation and the UN in India to help. Ms Blair and I found common cause not only with regards to widows that needed support but also the fact that Ms Blair herself runs a foundation to help women-run businesses get adequate institutional support to grow in her home country,” Ms Irani said.

“Given the similarities of our interest and the fact that the Loomba Foundation also invited me to be Vice President, my association with Cherie had a productive start with our recent engagement in Delhi,” she said, adding that Ms Blair and she are also committed to partnering on gender-related issues and their offices are positioned to engage in the forthcoming WEF at Davos.

During the launch of the initiative, Ms Irani stressed that women are not victims, either of circumstances or challenges, but have the capacity to overcome adversity. She also highlighted the significance of various international days, including the International Day of Non-Violence, the International Day of Yoga, and the International Day of Widows, and acknowledged the contributions of Lord Loomba for the establishment of the International Day of Widows. The former minister has also been promoting human potential, justice, and non-violence.

“The United Nations celebrates three international days, one being the International Day of Non-Violence, dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi; the International Day of Yoga, courtesy of the leadership of Prime Minister Modi; and a day dedicated to widows the world over, courtesy of Lord Loomba… All these days celebrate human potential, our capacity to ensure justice and a non-violent way of life… A woman is anything but a victim, either of circumstances or her own inability to meet certain challenges,” she stressed.

Observing that there is a lack of information about how much progress India has made, former Indian Minister Smriti Irani on Monday (September 16, 2024) said the financial prospects of the country have not been fully explored internationally.

“I don’t think the financial prospects of our country are fully explored internationally. India as an economy is looked upon from the myopia of the lens, let’s say that gets discussed at Davos or that gets discussed at the (World) bank, but operationally, we create opportunities in so many layers that are not visible,” Ms. Irani said in response to a question during her appearance at the Observer Research Foundation America.

Ms. Irani, who is currently on an unofficial trip to the U.S., said there is a lack of information about how much India has progressed.

“There isn’t much information about the climate action that has been undertaken by India. Similarly, let’s say in precision manufacturing, in agro-based industry, the misconception is that our economy is open only for big business,” she said.

“Currently, if you look at the small traders in our country, 90% of retail trade is conducted in the so-called unorganised sector. From a business perspective, small shops, often referred to as ‘kirana dukaan’ in Delhi or ‘mom-and-pop’ stores in the U.S., are generating a turnover of $844 billion,” according to the former Union Minister.

Ms. Irani also highlighted India’s achievement of administering 2.2 billion doses of vaccine in less than three months.

“They were surprised because they never, when I say they, I’m saying anybody outside of India, especially in the Western world, were shocked that we could get together an app and deliver not only doses, but 600,000 villages knew exactly what to do in a pandemic,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

She said other nations were also surprised that India could become a major force in PPE suit manufacturing in just three months, becoming the world’s second-largest supplier, competing with China, and breaking financial barriers in the supply chain.

“We also need to harness and keep harping about the fact that we in India have made a case for how supply chains globally will not be held hostage for political reasons. That is one message that India can time and again deliver to the world. Our stupendous success in how we handled COVID is a conversation that is not repeated often,” Ms. Irani said.

“But when our backs were to the wall, we not only made our vaccine, we not only protected to the best of our ability our citizens, but since then, we have also been giving food at the doorstep of 800 million Indians, which is not doable by any country in the world. So, I think that it is an imperative morally on us Indians, whenever we are outside our country, to keep talking about these issues, to say we got this much done,” Ms. Irani said.

She added that India is not waiting for the world to act but has created solutions for the world to benefit from.

“Need to fully implement gender equity policies across Global South”

“India is committed to prioritising gender parity,” former Minister Smriti Irani has said, as she underlined the need to fully implement gender equity policies across the Global South to enhance global competitiveness.

While addressing the World Bank leaders, Ms. Irani spoke about the issues of gender parity in the Global South and the importance of engaging both political and corporate leadership.

“Over the past decade, India has made remarkable strides in women-led development under PM @narendramodi’s leadership. As the World Bank prepares to unveil its Gender Strategy 2024-2030, India remains committed to prioritising gender parity,” she said in a post on X.

“In order to expand our global competitiveness, leaders of government and commerce throughout the Global South must ensure that gender equity policies are fully implemented,” a statement quoted Ms. Irani as saying.

Education, healthcare, childcare, and housing policies disproportionately impact women– especially in developing and growing economies like India, she said.

“It is critical that we get the policy right so that women and girls can help lead government and industry, while also fulfilling their personal potential,” she added.

“Our region of the world is growing in terms of population, economic output, and global influence, so it is incumbent upon us – as leaders – to have the foresight, will, and commitment to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to meet her or his potential,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

Ms. Irani will meet with government and business leaders in Washington over the next several days to discuss her priorities for gender equity, the statement said.

New Delhi:

Actress Smriti Irani shared a picture with Bill Gates, the former CEO of IT giant Microsoft. The former actress took to her Instagram and shared a picture from a wedding.

In the picture, Smriti can be seen wearing a pink coloured saree which she paired with a necklace. Bill Gates chose the Indian attire as he was dressed in a sherwani.

She wrote in the caption, “Kyunki Bill bhi kabhi baaraati tha #weddings India wali #saturdayvibes.”

Smriti Irani, who was earlier a Union Minister lost the Amethi seat on a ticket of BJP. She lost by a margin of 1,67,196 votes to Congress leader K.L. Sharma. She had previously defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 elections to secure the Congress bastion.

The actress switched to politics in 2003 when she joined the 
BJP. She has been with BJP for over 20 years now. In 2024, she was appointed vice-president of the Maharashtra Youth Wing in 2004.

In the 14th Lok Sabha, she contested unsuccessfully against Kapil Sibal from the Chandni Chowk constituency in Delhi. This election also witnessed a shock defeat for the incumbent Vajpayee government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Polling for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections began on May 20 across a total of 49 seats, including in high-profile constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

Also Read: India General Elections 2024 Phase 5 LIVE updates

The fate of five Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be decided during the fifth phase of elections covering 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in U.P.

Uttar Pradesh

The seats voting in the fifth phase are Lucknow, Mohanlalganj (SC), Rae Bareli, Amethi, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi (SC), Barabanki (SC), Faizabad, Kaisarganj and Gonda.

Rahul Gandhi is in the fray from Rae Bareli, which was represented by his mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi earlier. For the INDIA bloc, the Congress has fielded K.L. Sharma from Amethi, Tanuj Punia from Barabanki (SC) and Pradeep Jain ‘Aditya’ from Jhansi. Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates are in the poll fray on the rest of the seats.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is eyeing a fourth term from Lucknow. He is pitted against sitting SP MLA Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow Central. Union minister Smriti Irani has been fielded from the neighbouring Amethi constituency.

In Kaisarganj Lok Sabha seat, the contest is between BJP’s Karan Bhushan Singh, son of former MP and ex-president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and SP’s Bhagat Ram.

Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which covers the temple town of Ayodhya, will see a contest between sitting BJP MP Lallu Singh, who is seeking a hat-trick, and Awadhesh Prasad, the SP MLA from Milkipur (SC) Assembly constituency in Ayodhya district.

Maharashtra

In the fifth and last phase of general elections in Maharashtra, 13 of the total 48 seats in the State are polling today. Union ministers Piyush Goyal , Bharati Pawar and Kapil Patil are among the key nominees of the BJP, which has also fielded lawyer Ujjwal Nikam. Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad are also in the fray.

Also Read: Crowded field: On Maharashtra politics

The main contest is between the ruling Mahayuti comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP).

Bihar

In Bihar, where voting is underway in five Lok Sabha seats — Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Saran and Hajipur — 80 candidates are in the fray.

Notable contestants include NDA ally Chirag Paswan in Hajipur, Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya, who is pitted against two-term sitting BJP MP and former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in Saran, and Muzaffarpur’s sitting MP Ajay Nishad, who crossed over to the Congress after being denied a BJP ticket for a third term.

Sudhir Kumar Ojha, an advocate who remains in the news for his petitions against top political figures, Bollywood stars and even foreign heads of State, is contesting from Muzaffarpur.

Odisha

Voting commenced at 7 a.m. in Aska, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Bargarh, and Sundargarh parliamentary constituencies, along with 35 Assembly segments within these Lok Sabha seats.

Prominent leaders whose electoral fate will be decided include Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is contesting from two Assembly segments (Hinjili in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Bolangir district), six Odisha ministers, BJP MPs Sangeeta Singh Deo and Jual Oram, and former Indian hockey skipper Dilip Tirkey.

West Bengal

Voting commenced in Bangaon (SC), Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, and Arambag (SC) Lok Sabha constituencies at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m.

A total of 88 candidates are contesting in the fifth phase, with the highest number of 15 candidates in Bongaon, where Union Minister Shantanu Thakur is contesting against TMC’s Biswajit Das.

Jammu and Kashmir

Polling began in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency where 22 candidates, including former chief minister Omar Abdullah, are in the fray.

The constituency is spread over 18 Assembly segments in the three districts of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora, and also includes two segments of Budgam that were included on the recommendations of the delimitation commission two years ago.

The first major political battle post the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 will decide the fate of Mr. Abdullah, the National Conference vice-president, and 21 others in the fray. Mr. Abdullah faces the biggest challenge from separatist-turned-politician and former minister Sajad Lone, who heads the People’s Conference.

However, it is the presence of jailed Awami Ittehad Party leader and former MLA Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid that has spiced up the contest.

The People’s Democratic Party has fielded former Rajya Sabha member Mir Mohammad Fayaz while Muneer Khan, the brother of jailed separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan, is contesting as an Independent.

(With inputs from PTI)

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live Updates:

Voters from 49 constituencies across six states and two Union Territories will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls today. 

Polling will be held for five parliamentary seats in Bihar, Jharkhand (3), Maharashtra (13), Odisha (5), Uttar Pradesh (14), West Bengal (7) and two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir (1) and Ladakh (1). 

Key candidates contesting in the fifth phase include Union Ministers Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Smriti Irani (Amethi), and Rajnath Singh (Lucknow).

From the Opposition, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi is defending his mother Sonia Gandhi’s bastion Raebareli, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah is fighting from Baramulla, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya is contesting from Saran, while Shiv Sena-UBT leader and Arvind Sawant is contesting from Mumbai South.

Here are LIVE updates on Lok Sabha Election Phase 5 voting:

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