The Week That Was: Female Aspirant secures AIR 1, Silver at ISSF World Cup, Appointments & More

By: WE Staff | Sunday, 27 April 2025

Every day, women across the globe continue to break barriers, push the limits, inspire change, and uplift communities. From milestones in leadership, sports, and entrepreneurship to powerful stories of resilience and innovation, their achievements deserve to be celebrated and shared.

The WER team has spotlighted the remarkable progress of such women this week, highlighting initiatives aimed at empowerment and recognizing the women. Initiative launched by UP government for women's safety, Simranpreet Kaur clinching silver at ISSF World Cup, Women securing AIR 1 at UPSC results, Giya Diwaan appointed as new CFO at Trilegal, and much more.

Let us have a look at them.

UP Govt to Launch 'Sakhi Niwas' Shelters for Women's Safety in Nine Districts

Taking a big leap towards strengthening women's safety and empowerment, the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh is planning to set up 'Sakhi Niwas' shelters in nine important districts of the state. Every shelter will be able to accommodate 50 women and will offer safe housing to women facing social, legal, or family problems, especially at moments of personal crisis.

In the umbrella of the government's flagship Mission Shakti programme for extending dignity, security, and empowerment to women, the Uttar Pradesh government is opening up 'Sakhi Niwas' shelters in nine priority districts. The Central and state governments will collectively fund the shelters with the Centre contributing 60 percent of the cost.

Simranpreet Kaur Brar Wins Silver in 25m Pistol at ISSF World Cup in Lima

Simranpreet Kaur Brar, 20-year-old shooter from Punjab, earned her first senior podium finish as she took a silver medal in the women's 25m pistol event at the Lima World Cup. Competing in a fierce final round that featured three Indian and three Chinese shooters among the eight finalists, Simranpreet held her own against a strong lineup.

Shooting together with experienced players such as double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh, Simranpreet showed great composure and skill. She scored 33, just a point short of the gold to China's Yujie Sun, who had 34. Bronze went to China's Qianxun Yao with 29 points.

UPSC 2024 Results Declared: 5 Women Candidates Secure rank Among Top 10

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced the final results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024, with 1,009 candidates recommended for various prestigious services. A reserve list of 230 candidates was maintained. The final results are expected in April or May 2026, following the completion of the Personality Test/Interview stage.

The results announced on April 22, 2025, once again saw a surge in women excelling in the prestigious examination, with female candidates securing the top two ranks. Shakti Dubey from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, achieved All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 after seven years of dedicated preparation, and Harshita Goyal claimed the second spot with All India Rank 2 in her third attempt at the UPSC exam.

Britannia Marie Gold's Her Start-Up Show Returns with Rs10 Lakh Grants for Women Entrepreneurs

Britannia Marie Gold launched Season 2 of India's first-ever national reality show for women entrepreneurs, Her Start-Up Show, in association with GroupM Motion Entertainment and Mindshare. The show launched on JioHotstar on April 19 and has 40 women finalists competing to win the coveted ₹10 lakh Golden Grant.

A venture beyond a mere competition, Her Start-Up Show is a platform strong enough to lift up the potential female entrepreneurs by providing them with funding, mentorship, and national visibility. The campaign is an extension of the recently initiated Britannia Marie Gold Her Start-Up Contest in July 2024, which saw more than one lakh participants from all over India. Of these, 100 were given professional training and 40 made it to the final episode of the show.

Trilegal Appoints Giya Diwaan as New CFO Amid Expansion & Digital Disruption

Trilegal has taken a strategic move in the banking sector by recruiting Giya Diwaan as the firm's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Diwaan will be tasked with leading the firm's finances at a point when the firm is growing and facing digital disruption.

Having more than 20 years of experience in M&A, IPOs, fundraising, and expansion across the world, Diwaan is a seasoned transformation and financial management expert. Her last job was CFO at Dreamfolks, India's largest aggregator of travel and lifestyle services listed on NSE and BSE.

AP Women Entrepreneurs Biodegradable Innovations Shine at DRDA Workshop

During their appearance at a workshop conducted by District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) on Friday, women entrepreneurs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana promoted a range of eco-friendly, biodegradable products, with them focusing on working towards sustainability and also working towards empowering women.

Ch. Jithendria from Akruthi Bio Green elaborated about her intention of reducing the use of plastic by producing biodegradable products. "I make biodegradable items and am trying not to use plastic," she explained. Jithendria has given training to numerous women to prepare plates, spoons, glasses, bags, decorative pieces, wallets, packing materials, and more, and keeps motivating women to join her in saving the environment and water resources.