BJP leader and former Union Minister Smriti Irani addressed the 'Viksit Bharat Leadership Conclave' organised by Navbharat in New Delhi on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, sharing her vision on women's empowerment, entrepreneurship, and India's development journey under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Context

Speaking at the conclave, Irani said that under PM Modi's leadership, women are no longer merely participants in development — 'बल्कि भारत की आर्थिक प्रगति, उद्यमिता और सामाजिक परिवर्तन की नई शक्ति बन रही हैं' ('but are becoming the new force driving India's economic progress, entrepreneurship, and social transformation'). She framed women's growing participation — from Self Help Groups (SHGs) to startups, industry, politics, and policymaking — as the 'greatest strength' of the Viksit Bharat vision.

The conclave, organised by Navbharat, brought together leaders to discuss the roadmap for a developed India. Irani's address centred on the idea that inclusive growth, particularly women's economic agency, is inseparable from India's ambition to become a developed nation by 2047.

Policy Backdrop

The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, launched in 2015, marked an early pillar of the Modi government's gender-focused agenda, targeting the child sex ratio and girls' access to education. Alongside it, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) has steadily scaled women-led Self Help Groups across states, providing micro-enterprise support and pathways to financial inclusion.

Over the past decade, the policy emphasis has shifted from welfare-centric interventions toward enabling women's participation in higher-value domains — startups, manufacturing, and elected governance. Irani, who served as Union Minister of Women and Child Development, was at the centre of several of these policy pushes during her tenure.

Stakeholders and Impact

Women entrepreneurs and SHG members are the most direct stakeholders in the agenda Irani outlined. Crores of women are enrolled in SHGs under NRLM, and the government has consistently cited their economic output as evidence of grassroots empowerment translating into measurable growth.

The linkage Irani drew — connecting SHG members at the village level to startup founders and policymakers — reflects a broader political argument that the Viksit Bharat goal cannot be achieved without closing gender gaps in economic participation. Advocates for women's rights and industry bodies focused on women-led enterprises are likely to track whether such speeches are followed by expanded credit guarantees or skilling programmes.

What's Next

With Union Budget discussions and policy reviews on the horizon, attention will turn to whether the government announces concrete measures — such as enhanced credit guarantees or targeted skill development programmes — for women-led enterprises. Irani's address at a high-profile conclave signals that women's economic empowerment will remain a central plank of the BJP's political and governance messaging in the lead-up to future electoral cycles. The Viksit Bharat framework, anchored to 2047, is increasingly being used to articulate long-term inclusion goals alongside growth targets.