Jharkhand Presents Women & Minerals-centric Growth Model at Davos

By: WE Staff | Friday, 6 February 2026

• A new development model was proposed at Davos 2026 by Jharkhand
• The emphasis was on women’s empowerment and a move from mineral extraction to processing
• The objective is to enable women to build stronger families and communities

The Jharkhand government provided a unique framework for developing a new and innovative agenda at Davos 2026, by creating a pathway to women's economic empowerment through a transition from traditional extractive economic models to those that create value through processing extracted resources.

MLA Kalpana Murmu Soren, who is also the Chairwoman of the Jharkhand Legislative Committee on Women and Child Development, presented Jharkhand's philosophy on the "Women Entrepreneurship: Driving Growth and Building a Sustainable Economy," panel at the Jharkhand Pavilion, by noting that with adequate support, from care, resources, and trust, women's participation will provide stability, equity, and sustainability for growth.

Kalpana outlined how the state of Jharkhand's development strategy is founded on tribal and indigenous principles, viewing development as a responsibility rather than an extractive utility, with an emphasis on women, who have always supported their families and local economies by providing unpaid caregiving.

This session was conducted with the initiative of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry Women Empowerment vertical, with panellists from India, Brazil, and other nations.

Participants of this session included Ruby Sinha from BRICS CCI-WE, Geovana Quadros of Mulheres Inspiradoras, Brazil, along with representatives from various sectors around the world.

"Jharkhand's strategy goes beyond traditional social welfare initiatives and aims to rebuild the dignity, power, and opportunities of women, including homemakers, caregivers, and informal workers, which is often not factored into the economic structure."

Through the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society, "women empowerment through self-help groups has enabled thousands of women to participate in regional production, food processing, and value-added activities."

The policy initiative proposed hopes to redress the economic imbalance through incentives and funding to businesses to set up local processing and refining units.

The state Finance Secretary, Prashant Kumar, highlighted the urgent need to get the minerals to market in no time, especially keeping the geopolitical scenario in view globally and its implications on the economy of the country as a whole.

A key feature of the approach is environmental sustainability. There are plans to develop a critical minerals research Centre in Ranchi to bridge gaps in processing technologies.

Some of these initiatives signal a move towards a fresh growth paradigm where the role of women in development is paramount, so that the benefits of the minerals mined in those regions are utilized for the development of the local population and are not merely confined to mining those resources.

The announcements made in Davos signal the Jharkhand government's commitment to development that also appreciates growth in a sustainable, inclusive manner.