Source: UN News: Saturday, March 21, 2026 00:01 AM
From engineers managing dams in the Indian state of Kerala, to women building rural enterprises in Tamil Nadu, to workers strengthening nutrition services in Bihar, and women working in animal health services in Jharkhand, women across India are breaking through barriers in their workplaces, businesses and communities. A program supported by the World Bank is playing an important role in this change. Women constitute half of India’s population and have an important role in shaping the future of the country. The impact of their increasing participation is now clearly visible on the economy as well. Women’s participation in the labor force has increased from 22.9 percent in 2018 to 35.3 percent in 2025. But to take full advantage of this potential, it is important to overcome barriers such as necessary skills, financial resources, safe housing and transportation. The World Bank Group is working to expand economic opportunities for women, invest in their well-being, promote leadership, and combat gender-based violence. This is not only empowering women, but also benefiting families, communities and the country’s economy. Employment is not just a source of income for working women. It also opens the way to dignity, purpose and a better life. When women and girls reach their full potential in the world of work, they transform not only their families, but also their communities and societies as a whole, and underpin inclusive economic growth. Kausar was just 17 when she got married and dropped out of school. Government of India new destination program Gave him a second chance. A few years later, thanks to this training, she got employment in a government hospital in Hyderabad, where she took care of patients. More than 50 thousand minority women have benefited from this program run by the Ministry of Minority Affairs of the Government of India and supported by the World Bank. World Bank/Kashan Mustafa Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, a program launched in 2016-17, bank sakhis It has become a great support for rural communities. They help people access banking services and government funds. In Aurangabad district of Bihar, Bandhini Kumari reaches out to 50 to 80 people every day. He says that now even those people are coming forward who rarely used to open their bank accounts earlier. women engineers in kerala management of dams They also manage the construction and maintenance of canals that provide water for irrigation and domestic use. S Manju, who works in the dam safety department, visits dam sites across the state for inspections. “We get a sense of accomplishment knowing that our work has an impact on people’s lives,” she says. © World Bank For many women, working is easier only when they have a safe place to live. In 10 cities of Tamil Nadu with the help of World Bank Thozi Hostel Providing affordable and safe places to live for working women. Thozhi in Tamil language means: Friend. Facilities like day and night security, child care and food are also available here. Currently 2 thousand women are living in these hostels. Similarly, approved in June 2025, Tamil Nadu WESAFE Programis helping to increase work opportunities for 16 lakh women, provide skills training to 6 lakh women and expand facilities like child care, safe travel and helpline services. Nationally, World Bank’s PM-Setu Program Under this, industrial training institutions will be further strengthened, so that more than 10 lakh better trained workers can be prepared every year. This program was approved in February 2026. A target has been set to include at least 25 percent girl students in this program, so that women can also move forward in better paying jobs. © World Bank Entrepreneurial Women Women across the country are building businesses on their own. Nithya, 25, took a 20-day mason training in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu, started the work along with three women and won the first order of 600 sign boards worth Rs 15 lakh. Today she earns Rs 1,000 per day and is also providing work to three other women in her village. His story is a symbol of a big change. Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project 2,500 community skills schoolshas trained more than 50 thousand youth, of which 65 percent are women. This initiative has supported 1 lakh enterprises and 53 thousand jobs. Muskaanben Vohra, a weaver from Anand district of Gujarat Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Got digital training under. This training was conducted with the support of Japan Social Development Fund and Lilavati Project managed by the World Bank Given under. © Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) After this, she and her colleagues started sharing pictures of their belongings online, created WhatsApp groups and started taking digital payments. Due to this, his business continued and all his goods were sold. But training alone is not enough. The biggest difficulty faced by many women entrepreneurs is raising capital. Janaki, who runs a hardware shop in Sivagangai district, was not getting the necessary guarantee for a bank loan. World Bank supported Matching Grants Program helped by giving 30 percent grant and also connected them with professional support. He told that his income has increased by 40 percent and he also hired another woman. Since 2022, the program has helped mobilize loans worth Rs 267 crore for more than 8 thousand women-led enterprises. Yet millions of women are still stuck in a financial dilemma where their businesses are too big for SHG loans, but too small for formal banks. According to a World Bank study, this category of women-owned rural enterprises provides employment to 22 million to 27 million people. Therefore, it is very important to address this gap as India ranks 70th among 77 countries in terms of gender gap in entrepreneurship. © World Bank Women supporting the community Anganwadi worker Anita Devi of Giridih district of Jharkhand is one of those lakhs female personnel Who are working against malnutrition for a long time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these women went door-to-door to collect information, recorded symptoms and helped trace people who had come in contact with the virus. Women self-help groups also worked with the same dedication. These 90 lakh groups, with more than 10 crore members, made masks, operated community kitchens, delivered food items and countered misinformation during the pandemic. In Bihar World Bank Supported Livelihood Program Under this, 7.5 thousand ‘Poshan Sakhis’ have been given training. These women go door-to-door every day to give advice to pregnant women and new mothers about diet and child care. Along with this, 135 Swasthya Mitras have also been deployed in hospitals and medical colleges of Bihar, who help poor villagers understand the hospital procedures and reach the right department. 40 livelihood women in Samastipur district now prepare and pack nutritious baby food called ‘Balahar’. In this way, this nutrition related initiative has now become a means of employment for them. © World Bank Women breaking stereotypes in Jharkhand Queen Mistry has changed the old thinking in which construction work was considered only men’s work. He played an important role in the toilet construction campaign under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Today there are more than 50 thousand trained women masons in the state, who helped Jharkhand achieve open defecation free status in 2018. In the same state, more than 1 thousand women masons have been trained under the World Bank-supported Jauhar Project. animal friends Have been trained for animal health services. Somati from Gumla district’s monthly income has increased from Rs 3-5 thousand to Rs 10-20 thousand, and her children study in a private school. “I feel very satisfied when the villagers call me goat doctor,” she says. © World Bank Jauhar Project supports approximately 57 thousand farmers, 90 percent of whom are women. The Pashu Sakhi model is developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).F.A.O.) has been included among the world’s eight best examples for farmer service. 37-year-old Kamal Kumari Jyomati is the president of Farmer Producer Company in Assam. This is a company with 435 women shareholders from 25 villages. In the year 2022, the company signed a buy-back agreement with a multinational company for the potato crop, which generated a profit of Rs 20 lakh. “We have always been farmers, but now we have become agri-entrepreneurs,” says Kamal. World Bank-supported, Assam Agri-Business and Rural Transformation Project Under APART, 125 such companies have been established across the state, in which there are more than 20 thousand women shareholders. For member Ranju Goala, this change is not only about income but also about self-confidence. She says, “Earlier I could not even stand in front of people and speak. Today I can talk to people from outside, participate in business discussions and express my views.” “Now I have my own identity and I feel empowered.”This article was first Here Published. © World Bank
