From Talks To Transformation: How News18 SheShakti 2025-Mumbai Outlined India’s Next Leap

Last Updated:August 13, 2025, 08:58 IST

At the Mumbai edition of News18 SheShakti 2025, women from politics, governance, business, and social change shared not just stories, but blueprints for action

Women are no longer asking for permission to participate in India’s growth story. Now, they are actively writing it. (News18)

The energy at News18 SheShakti 2025 – Mumbai edition, presented by Lions International, was electric. It began with a celebration but quickly moved into a sharper mood of determination. The theme, ‘From Breaking Barriers to Building Bharat’, played out in full as women from politics, governance, business, and social change shared not just stories, but blueprints for action. Women are no longer asking for permission to participate in India’s growth story. Now, they are actively writing it.

On the topic of governance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis set a strong goal: to increase the number of women participating in local government bodies from 33% to 50%. Ashwini Bhide, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City), BMC, showed that this change is already happening, with women leading important infrastructure projects in Mumbai.

Making Real-Time Impact

Sunaina Tomar, Additional Chief Secretary Higher and Technical Education, Government of Gujarat, and Vinita Vaid Singhal, Principal Secretary of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department, Government of Maharashtra, reminded everyone that real progress often begins with fixing small issues, like school transportation, which in reality are big obstacles to involvement.

From Governance To Finance

The discussion on the economy became crucial when Priti Rathi Gupta, founder of LXME, shared a shocking fact: women lose Rs 5 crore over their lifetime because of bad financial planning. The funding gap is also a big problem, with women-led start-ups only getting 1-2% of the total required fund they need. However, Laxmi Iyer, Group President – Investments, Bajaj Finserv Ltd and Roshi Jain, Fund Manager at HDFC MF, highlighted that women investors can do better than men, highlighting the need for women to start managing money earlier and feel more confident in their financial choices.

Just as financial independence gives women the power to take control of their futures, social change gives them the freedom to live those futures fully. That’s where mental health came into focus. Dr. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Aditya Birla Education Trust, who has been advocating for the cause for years, once faced almost empty press conferences. Today, with the country more open to these conversations, her journey proves that persistence can shift how an entire society thinks about critical issues.

By the end of the evening, one thing was clear: SheShakti is no longer just about asking for a place at the table. It’s about redesigning the table itself. The conversations in Mumbai didn’t just show what needs to be fixed, they also gave clear steps forward: pass laws to increase women’s representation, remove everyday access barriers, close the gap in financial knowledge and funding, and make it easier to talk about mental health.

If these steps are taken, they could help create a progressive India led by women, not in the future, but right now.

Know more here.

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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d...

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August 13, 2025, 08:58 IST

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