PM Modi Highlights Women's Growing Role in India's Development

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Monday, 31 August 2026

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his latest monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, talked about the increasing participation of women in India’s economic and social development, from promoting ground-level businesses to availing themselves of opportunities in technology and space sectors.

He also highlighted how initiatives like Mission ShaktiSAT are giving young women new areas of interest in satellite technology and space sciences. Thus, these changes are an indication of women empowerment where women are not just recipients of development schemes but have become successful women entrepreneurs and innovators in India’s success stories.

Key Highlights:

• PM Modi highlights women’s growing role in India’s economic and social development
• PM SVANidhi helps 35 Lakh women expand businesses and strengthen their livelihoods
• Mission ShaktiSAT connects 12,000 girls across 108 countries with Space technology

The PM spoke about how schemes like PM SVANidhi Yojana are helping women street vendors and small-scale businesswomen develop their businesses, gain economic independence, and create better future prospects for their families. “Children receive better education, household needs are met, and the woman’s self-confidence is strengthened. This is, indeed, a living example of ‘women’s empowerment’,” the PM said.

Bringing into focus the varied nature of women’s street businesses, Prime Minister pointed out that women are earning their livelihoods through vegetable vending, fruit selling, tea stall running, selling of flowers, earthen lamps and ‘pooja’ materials. Despite being significant for local economies, this is one area of women’s entrepreneurship that does not receive much recognition.

“Often, a mere lack of capital prevents their businesses from growing further. But now, lakhs of such mothers and sisters are gaining new strength through the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’,” he said.

In this context, the prime minister mentioned that 46 percent of the people who have benefited from the PM SVANidhi scheme are women. He further added that there are about 35 lakh women availing the benefits of this scheme for the expansion of their business ventures. He termed this increasing trend as an excellent case of economic empowerment of women.

In reference to Mission ShaktiSAT, the Prime Minister acknowledged that the level of participation among young females in India is increasingly becoming high, noting that the dreams of the daughters of our country are soaring far above the limits of earth. He further mentioned that the project is bringing together many girls from all over the world to experiment with satellite technology and innovation. “And you will be proud to know that India is bringing together thousands of daughters who are nurturing such dreams, from across the globe. This initiative is named ‘Mission ShaktiSAT,” he stated.

PM Modi stated that around 12,000 girl students from 108 countries are taking part in the program and getting familiar with satellite technology and gaining skills which will help them get into the fields of science, technology, engineering and innovation. According to him, this program shows the significance of providing opportunities to young girls in latest technology for space exploration.

Speaking about the bigger picture about what Mission ShaktiSAT is all about, the prime minister stated that preparations were being made to launch a satellite which was made solely in collaboration with girl students, into the moon’s orbit. The project was, according to him, a big example of the synergy between education, technology, and global partnership in motivating young girls towards achieving big things in the world of space science.